Live long and prosper : aging in East Asia and Pacific

By P. O'Keefe, N. Umapathi, A. Somanathan, R. Palacios, J. Giles, Thomas Flochel, R. V. Doorn, Juan Pradelli, Y. Huang, H. Moroz and 10 more. 2015

128 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The population in East Asia and Pacific is aging rapidly, raising concerns about the implications for the region’s economic future. This report aims to crystallize what is known about the rapidly changing and diverse demographics of East Asian and Pacific countries. It documents policy frameworks on aging and explores the implications of alternative reform options. Its purpose is not only to provide a comprehensive review of aging in the region and associated policy responses, but also to encourage policy debate by facilitating comparison of policy regimes across the region. Aging raises many challenges and risks, which East Asian and Pacific countries are well positioned to manage - provided they make policy choices that promote appropriate behavioral change by households and employers. The overview is organized as follows: the first section reviews the demographic and epidemiological transitions in East Asia and Pacific. The second section discusses the living standards and other indicators of welfare of older people in the region, such as sources of support and living arrangements. The third section discusses the effects of aging on growth, the labor force, savings, and government budgets, and the ways in which countries can manage them. The fourth section looks at challenges facing pension, health, and long-term care systems. The final section provides some concluding thoughts.

Subfields: Demography, General Health Professions, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/55b39981b7f715681c9f729c0daea246273898ab