The New Politics of Old Age Policy / Edition 3

by Robert B. Hudson

Overview

A comprehensive overview of current aging policies.

As the average age of the U.S. population continues to increase, age-related policies have come under intense scrutiny, sparking heated debates. In the past, older people were seen as a frail, dependent population, but major policies enacted or expanded on their behalf have made them major players in electoral and interest-group politics. This thoroughly revised and updated edition of Robert B. Hudson's The New Politics of Old Age Policy not only explains the politics behind the country's age-based programs and describes how those programs work but also assesses how well--or poorly--they meet the growing and changing needs of older Americans.

Essays by leading experts in political science, sociology, law, social work, and gerontology address, among other things, theoretical approaches to age-based policy; population dynamics and the impact of growing diversity within the older population; and national, state, and local issues associated with major age-based programs. More than any other source, this book presents the most current information on growing older in the United States, including in-depth analyses of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, housing initiatives, the Older Americans Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and tax policy.

Detailed new chapters focus on financial security and retirement in the context of the Great Recession, diversity and inequality in aging populations, and implications of the Affordable Care Act. Scholars, students, and policymakers will appreciate the volume's timely overview of the evolution of aging policy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421414874
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	09/22/2014
Edition description:	third edition
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Robert B. Hudson is a professor of social policy at Boston University and the editor of The Future of Age-Based Public Policy, also published by Johns Hopkins.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors
Preface
1. Contemporary Challenges to Aging Policy
2. The Implications of Structural Lag for Old Age Policy
3. Fiscal Effects of Population Aging in the United States
4. The Great Divide: Elite and Mass Opinion about Social Security
5. The Shifting Political Construction of Older Americans as aTarget Population
6. Working, Retiring, and the New Old Age
7. Diversity and the Economic Security of Older Americans
8. The Policy Challenges of a Larger and More Diverse: Oldest-Old Population
9. Social Security, the Great Recession, and the Entitlements Problem
10. The Medicare Challenge: Clients, Cost Controls, and Congress
11. Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me, When I'm 84? Long-Term Care Challenges for an Aging America
12. Means-Testing of Entitlements: Good Policy? Good Politics?
13. Ageism's Many Forms: Institutional, Unintended, and Reverse
Conclusion. The Futures of Old Age Politics and Policy

What People are Saying About This

Larry Polivka

A comprehensive, broad-ranging overview of the politics of aging, The New Politics of Old Age Policy makes an important contribution to our understanding of contemporary aging issues.

From the Publisher

A comprehensive, broad-ranging overview of the politics of aging, The New Politics of Old Age Policy makes an important contribution to our understanding of contemporary aging issues.
—Larry Polivka, The Claude Pepper Center

Editorial Reviews

"The volume will be a useful introduction to the contemporary policy." -- Thomas R. Klassen, Canadian Journal on Aging

"The volume will be a useful introduction to the contemporary policy." -- Thomas R. Klassen, Canadian Journal on Aging

"This is an excellent book for those who specialise in American social policy." -- John A. Vincent, Ageing and Society

From the Publisher

The contributing authors do an excellent job of dissecting and illuminating the many policy options involved in current national debates. The book is a valuable resource for students and professionals in the field.

Family Caregiver Alliance

The volume will be a useful introduction to the contemporary policy.

Canadian Journal on Aging

This is an excellent book for those who specialize in American social policy.

Ageing and Society

The New Politics of Old Age Policy should interest students of sociology and social work as well as their mentors. There is a wealth of references at each chapter's end, and Robert Hudson's introduction sets the scene admirably.

Journal of Long Term Home Health Care - Marion Malakoff

The New Politics of Old Age Policy should interest students of sociology and social work as well as their mentors. There is a wealth of references at each chapter's end, and Robert Hudson's introduction sets the scene admirably.

— Marion Malakoff

Journal of Long Term Home Health Care