Preparing for an Aging World The Case for Cross-National Research (2001) / Chapter Skim
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8. Conclusion and Major Recommendations
8. Conclusion and Major Recommendations
Pages 276-282
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From page 276... ...
For these responses to be effective in optimizing societal well-being, they must be based on an enhanced scientific understanding of the critical dynamics associated with population aging, such as the determinants of retirement decisions; the links among labor force participation, health status, and economic status; the relationship between retirement decisions and the specific features of both public and private pension plans; the impact of changes in public transfer systems on private transfers; the relationships among aging, income, and private savings; and the impact of medical technology on health, disability, and longevity. The preceding chapters have focused in turn on these domains and their important interrelationships and offered recommendations for data and research in each area.
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From page 277... ...
It is important to stress that potential gains will not be realized unless there is a continuing and effective dialogue between the policy community and researchers, leading to the design of a program of data collection that can properly inform policy makers. This dialogue must be ongoing since many of the key dimensions of population aging can be expected to shift as socioeconomic circumstances change.
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From page 278... ...
Because the world is dealing with a phenomenon (population aging) that is likely to require the careful attention of policy makers for at least the next five decades, neither repeated cross sections nor single-cohort designs are very attractive.
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From page 279... ...
Advantages would arise from the confluence of several factors: the differential rates of population aging throughout the world that result from differences in fertility and mortality histories, and thus provide a unique opportunity for countries to learn from each other's experiences; the concomitant economic and social changes (e.g., in pension reform, marriage and divorce rates, schooling levels, adoption of innovative medical technology) that are occurring differentially throughout the world; and the growing awareness among policy makers that problems resulting from global aging pose what are arguably the most important set of economic and social challenges they will face over the next half-century.
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From page 280... ...
A cross-national perspective provides a broader and richer set of institutional arrangements within which to understand policy initiatives, and offers opportunities to relate variations in institutional arrangements to the distribution of attributes that determine program eligibility, benefit levels, and ultimately individual and household behaviors. Sophisticated comparative analyses can exploit differences and changes in policy rules across countries by isolating their impacts from those of other macroeconomic and social changes.
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From page 281... ...
The ability to merge data of this sort with data tailored to the analytic issues addressed by surveys clearly has major advantages. Beyond the scientific advantages, the linking of administrative and other information with survey data reduces respondent burden, a notinsignificant factor given the complexities of survey research instruments and the sometimes strong cultural reluctance to participate in survey endeavors.
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From page 282... ...
In summary, the enhanced scientific understanding needed to provide effective guidance for public policy in many countries will depend on the generation of longitudinal databases that contain representations of the critical sets of variables needed to model aging processes. The beginnings of such rich longitudinal and multidisciplinary data systems are available in the designs of various surveys mentioned throughout this report.
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