Excerpt

As we move through the 21st century, countries around the world are apt to face slower growth (or even contraction) of the workforce, rapid increases in the over-65 and especially the over-80 population, potentially larger numbers of disabled persons and greater demand on health care systems, and the increase in poverty likely to accompany rising numbers of widows. Many countries are now in the early stages of adapting to their changing population age structures. Since current and prospective policy responses are likely to differ among countries, a number of natural experiments are, or shortly will be, under way, enabling countries to learn from each other's experience. To take advantage of this opportunity, the U.S. National Institute on Aging asked the National Academies, through its National Research Council, to convene a panel that would provide recommendations for an international research agenda and for the types of data needed to implement that agenda in the context of rapid demographic change.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• PANEL ON A RESEARCH AGENDA AND NEW DATA FOR AN AGING WORLD
• COMMITTEE ON POPULATION
• COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL STATISTICS 2000-2001
• Preface
• Executive Summary
  • MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS
  • FIVE RESEARCH DOMAINS
• 1. Introduction
  • IS THERE A “CRISIS OF AGING”?
  • THE VALUE AND CHALLENGES OF CROSS-NATIONAL RESEARCH
  • CHARGE TO THE PANEL
  • STUDY APPROACH AND SCOPE
  • CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES
  • ORGANIZATION OF THIS REPORT
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Our Aging World
  • NUMBERS AND PROPORTIONS OF ELDERLY
  • GROWTH OF THE OLDEST OLD
  • METRICS OF AGING
  • DYNAMICS OF POPULATION AGING
  • RELIABILITY OF DEMOGRAPHIC PROJECTIONS OF THE ELDERLY
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Work, Retirement, and Pensions
  • PATTERNS OF WORK AND RETIREMENT AROUND THE WORLD
  • RETIREMENT INCENTIVES AND PENSION ARRANGEMENTS
  • KEY DATA REQUIREMENTS
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  • References
• 4. Private Wealth and Income Security: International Comparisons
  • WEALTH ACCUMULATION: RESEARCH FRAMEWORK AND KEY QUESTIONS
  • DATA SOURCES
  • PATTERNS OF HOUSEHOLD WEALTH ACCUMULATION
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Intergenerational Transfers
  • POLICY CONSIDERATIONS
  • INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSFERS, ECONOMIC WELFARE, AND TRANSFER INSTITUTIONS
  • COLLECTION OF DATA ON INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSFERS
  • ASSESSING FAMILY DYNAMICS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE TRANSFER PATTERNS
  • RESEARCH GAPS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR DATA COLLECTION
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  • References
• 6. The Health of Aging Populations
  • KEY ISSUES
  • CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF THE DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH STATUS
  • MEASURING HEALTH STATUS
  • CHARACTERIZING HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS
  • EXISTING HEALTH DATA ON OLDER PERSONS: TYPES, AVAILABILITY, AND QUALITY
  • OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO CROSS-NATIONAL RESEARCH ON THE HEALTH STATUS OF THE ELDERLY
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  • ANNEX 6-1 THE ROLE OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN THE HEALTH OF ELDERS
  • ANNEX 6-2 COMMONLY USED MEASURES OF HEALTH STATUS
  • REFERENCES
• 7. Well-Being: Concepts and Measures
  • THE MEASUREMENT OF WELL-BEING
  • FINDINGS ON WELL-BEING AMONG THE ELDERLY
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 8. Conclusion and Major Recommendations
• Appendix A Learning from Cross-National Research
• Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff

This study was funded primarily by NIH Contract No. N01-OD-4-2139 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Additional funding was provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Suggested citation:

National Research Council (2001) Preparing for an Aging World: The Case for Cross-National Research, Panel on a Research Agenda and New Data for an Aging World, Committee on Population and Committee on National Statistics, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

Notice: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.