Ageing and Economic Welfare Author:Paul A Johnson, Jane Falkingham The aging of the population is being described as a demographic time-bomb--an economic disaster waiting to happen. Ageing and Economic Welfare assesses how realistic this prediction is. The long-term effects of population aging are shrouded in uncertainty. Will the size of the workforce and the rate of economic growth fall as pension costs ri... more »se, forcing taxes to rise and creating social tension? By drawing on economic, social, and demographic data, the authors present an accessible and interdisciplinary analysis of the economic impact of population aging, and possible implications for the welfare of elderly people. They highlight a conflict between the goal of ensuring that today's elderly population enjoy an acceptable standard of living and of preventing future public policy from becoming grossly unfair or inefficient. After outlining the possible policy responses to projected population pressures, the authors propose policies that would reconcile economic and welfare objectives. Making a major contribution to current debates about the economic and social impact of population and aging, this volume will be essential reading for academics and students in social gerontology, social policy, welfare economics and sociology. "This book, briefly but without major omissions, looks at the demographic causes and consequences of aging with particular reference to the UK. Unlike other works that treat the same issues, this volume devotes much more attention to the projections and future implications of aging. With reference to the UK, this is a good, readable interdisciplinary introduction, with no shortage of supportive statistical information. Undergraduate collections." --Choice "Ageing and Economic Welfare is a well written and wide ranging text on the economic content of population ageing in the UK and other western developed countries. Replete with useful charts and tables, it does an excellent job of making a complex subject accessible." --Benefits« less