This contributed volume provides a broad-based and in-depth exploration of demographic and related issues facing American society as it anticipates the retirement of the so-called baby boomers. The work provides a critical examination of the population and labor force projections most commonly used in discussions of retirement in the next century; looks at issues relating to the health and age structure of the population, examining those issues in the context of support mechanisms for retirement income security; and considers the potential lessons to be learned from the experiences of other industrialized societies in dealing with an aging population.

Overview by Anna M. Rappaport and Sylvester J. SchieberDemographic Change in the United States, 1970-2050 by Samuel H. PrestonDiscussions by Francisco R. Bayo, Stephen C. Goss, and Barry EdmonstonExpected Changes in the Workforce and Implications for Labor Markets by Phillip B. Levine and Olivia S. MitchellDiscussions by Christopher M. Bone and Joseph F. QuinnCan Our Social Insurance Systems Survive the Demographic Shifts of Twenty-First Century? by Sylvester J. SchieberDiscussions by Dwight K Barlett and Patrica M. DanzonThe Impact of the Demographic Transition on Capital Formation by Alan J. Auerbach and Laurence J. KotlikoffDiscussion by Alicia H. MunnellImplications of Demographic Change for Design of Retirement Programs by John H. BiggsDiscussions by Emily S. Andrews and Anna M. RappaportTrends in Health among the American Population by Eileen M. Crimmins and Dominique G. IngegneriDiscussions by Eric R. Kingson and Marc M. Twinney, Jr.Population Aging and Retirement Policy: An International Perspective by Robert L. ClarkDiscussions by G. Lawrence Atkins and Robert J. MyersBibliographyIndex