Aging Nation: The Economics and Politics of Growing Older in America

Aging Nation: The Economics and Politics of Growing Older in America

by James H. Schulz
ISBN-10:
0801888646
ISBN-13:
2900801888648
Pub. Date:
05/15/2008
Publisher:
Johns Hopkins University Press
Aging Nation: The Economics and Politics of Growing Older in America

Aging Nation: The Economics and Politics of Growing Older in America

by James H. Schulz
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Overview

With the impending retirement of some 76 million baby boomers in a period of huge government deficits, public anxiety about the social and economic health of an aging nation is widespread. Some policy makers and pundits forecast disaster.

James H. Schulz and Robert H. Binstock agree that there is considerable cause for concern but insist that a demographic tsunami is not inevitable. The authors analyze the nation's evolving private and public policies, and consider such timely issues as poverty among older people, rejoining the workforce after retirement, Social Security and health care reform, as well as the rise of elderly people as a powerful political force.

Dispelling popular myths and misconceptions, Schulz and Binstock consider the economic, political, and social challenges arising from the aging U.S. population, and present a balanced-and reassuring-assessment of the future.

About the Author:
James H. Schulz is a professor emeritus of economics at Brandeis. He is a former president of the Gerontological Society of America

About the Author:
Robert H. Binstock is a professor of aging, health, and society at Case Western Reserve University. He has served as director of a White House Task Force on older Americans and is a former president of the Gerontological Society of America


Product Details

ISBN-13: 2900801888648
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date: 05/15/2008
Edition description: New Edition
Pages: 304
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

James H. Schulz is Emeritus Professor of Economics, Brandeis University. A former president of the Gerontological Society of America, and recipient of numerous awards—including the Kleemier Award for outstanding research in the field of aging—he has written extensively on aging, pensions, retirement, and social policy. His 17 books include Social Security in the Twenty-First Century, The Economics of Population Aging, Providing Adequate Retirement Income When Life-Time Employment Ends, and seven editions of The Economics of Aging.

Robert H. Binstock is Professor of Aging, Health, and Society at Case Western Reserve University. A former president of the Gerontological Society of America, and recipient of numerous awards, he has served as director of a White House Task Force on Older Americans and as chairman and member of many advisory panels to the U.S., state, and local governments. He is the author of more than 250 articles and book chapters, primarily on the politics and policies affecting aging, and has published 24 books, including America's Political System, Too Old for Health Care?, The Future of Long-Term Care, and six editions of the Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences.

Table of Contents


Preface to the Paperback Edition     vii
Baby Boomers and the Merchants of Doom     1
The Phony Threat of Population Aging     25
The Search for Security with Dignity     43
Dealing with Risk     65
The Company Pension: Altruism or Self-Interest?     87
The Pension Lottery: Personal Pension Accounts     111
To Work or Not to Work: That Is the Question     137
Health and Longevity: What Lies Ahead?     171
A Gerontocracy? The Politics of Aging     201
Framing the Issues for an Aging Nation     223
Notes     237
Index     271

What People are Saying About This

Marilyn Moon

"It is gratifying to see two such prestigious observers of aging issues put forward a clear analysis of the aging 'crisis' in the United States. This book is an antidote to the ceaseless drumbeat of doom and selfishness coming from those who would dismantle our key sources of retirement security in the United States. Schulz and Binstock are recognized experts in the field of aging whose counsel should put to rest the claims that we cannot and should not rely on shared public programs for our future. They offer real solutions, not just sloganeering on an issue that should concern all Americans."

Marilyn Moon, Vice President and Director of the Health Program, American Institutes for Research, Former Trustee of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds

Marilyn Moon

It is gratifying to see two such prestigious observers of aging issues put forward a clear analysis of the aging 'crisis' in the United States. This book is an antidote to the ceaseless drumbeat of doom and selfishness coming from those who would dismantle our key sources of retirement security.

Marilyn Moon, Vice President and Director of the Health Program, American Institutes for Research

From the Publisher

It is gratifying to see two such prestigious observers of aging issues put forward a clear analysis of the aging 'crisis' in the United States. This book is an antidote to the ceaseless drumbeat of doom and selfishness coming from those who would dismantle our key sources of retirement security.
—Marilyn Moon, Vice President and Director of the Health Program, American Institutes for Research

A must read for the general public, politicians, pundits, and anyone who cares about growing old in the United States. Schulz and Binstock provide expert the analysis, balanced viewpoints, and historical overview essential for countering alarmist scenarios and promoting reasonable public policy and discourse.
—Fernando M. Torres-Gil, School of Public Policy, University of California, Los Angeles, former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging

A solid corrective thwack against conventional (and often false) wisdom, propagated by doomsters, about the perils of a nation living longer. Take notes for your own protection.
—Robert Butler, Founding Director of the National Institute on Aging

Dr. Robert Butler

"Aging Nation is a solid corrective thwack against conventional (and often false) wisdom, propagated by the doomsters, about the perils of a nation living longer. Take notes for your own protection."

Fernando M. Torres-Gil

"This seminal policy assessment, by the country's two leading policy gerontologists, is a must read for the general public, politicians, pundits, and anyone who cares about growing old in the United States. Schulz and Binstock provide the expert analysis, balanced viewpoints, and historical overview essential for countering alarmist scenarios and promoting reasonable public policy and discourse about the future of our aging nation."

Fernando M. Torres-Gil, Professor and Director of the Center for Policy Research on Aging, School of Public Policy, University of California, Los Angeles, Former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging

Robert Butler

A solid corrective thwack against conventional (and often false) wisdom, propagated by doomsters, about the perils of a nation living longer. Take notes for your own protection.

Robert Butler, Founding Director of the National Institute on Aging

Dr. Robert Butler

"Aging Nation is a solid corrective thwack against conventional (and often false) wisdom, propagated by the doomsters, about the perils of a nation living longer. Take notes for your own protection."

Dr. Robert Butler, Founding Director of the National Institute on Aging, President and CEO of the International Longevity Center-USA

Fernando M. Torres-Gil

A must read for the general public, politicians, pundits, and anyone who cares about growing old in the United States. Schulz and Binstock provide expert the analysis, balanced viewpoints, and historical overview essential for countering alarmist scenarios and promoting reasonable public policy and discourse.

Fernando M. Torres-Gil, School of Public Policy, University of California, Los Angeles, former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging

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