Synopses & Reviews
Demographics is a vital field of study for understanding social and economic change and it has attracted attention in recent years as concerns have grown over the aging populations of developed nations. Demographic studies help make sense of key aspects of the economy, offering insight into trends in fertility, mortality, immigration, and labor force participation, as well as age, gender, and race specific trends in health and disability.
Demography and the Economy explores the connections between demography and economics, paying special attention to what demographic trends can reveal about the sustainability of traditional social security programs and the larger implications for economic growth. The volume brings together some of the leading scholars working at the border between the two disciplines, and it provides an eclectic overview of both fields. Contributors also offer deeper analysis of a variety of issues such as the impact of greater wealth on choices about marriage and childbearing and the effects of aging populations on housing prices, Social Security, and Medicare.
About the Author
John B. Shoven is the Charles R. Schwab Professor of Economics at Stanford University, the Wallace R. Hawley Director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, and a research associate of the NBER.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
John B. Shoven
1. The Future of American Fertility
Samuel H. Preston and Caroline Sten Hartnett
Comment: Gopi Shah Goda
2. Fertility Theories: Can They Explain the Negative Fertility- Income Relationship?
Larry E. Jones, Alice Schoonbroodt, and Michèle Tertilt
Comment: Amalia R. Miller
3. Womens Education and Family Behavior: Trends in Marriage, Divorce, and Fertility
Adam Isen and Betsey Stevenson
Comment: Enrico Moretti
4. Adjusting Government Policies for Age Inflation
John B. Shoven and Gopi Shah Goda
Comment: Warren C. Sanderson
5. Old Europe Ages: Reforms and Reform Backlashes
Axel Börsch- Supan and Alexander Ludwig
Comment: Alan J. Auerbach
6. The Final Inequality: Variance in Age at Death
Shripad Tuljapurkar
Comment: Victor R. Fuchs
7. Demographic Trends, Housing Equity, and the Financial Security of Future Retirees
James M. Poterba, Steven F. Venti, and David A. Wise
Comment: Thomas Davidoff
8. Aging Populations, Pension Operations, Potential Economic Disappointment, and Its Allocation
Sylvester J. Schieber
Comment: Steven F. Venti
9. Financing Medicare: A General Equilibrium Analysis
Orazio Attanasio, Sagiri Kitao, and Giovanni L. Violante
Comment: Moshe Buchinsky
10. Italians Are Late: Does It Matter?
Francesco C. Billari and Guido Tabellini
Comment: Luigi Pistaferri
Contributors
Author Index
Subject Index