Aging China : The Demographic Challenge to China's Economic Prospects

by England, Robert Stowe

• ISBN13: 9780275986841
• ISBN10: 0275986845
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-02-28
• Publisher: Greenwood Pub Group

Summary

China, the world's most populous nation, will enter a period of rapid aging very shortly that will redefine that country. Between 2010 and 2040, the portion of people 65 and older will rise from around 7% to between 25 and 30% of the population. As China ages, can it retain the youthful dynamism now driving it? China, the world's most populous nation, will enter a period of rapid aging very shortly that will redefine that country. Between 2010 and 2040, the number of people 65 and older will rise from around 7% to between 25 and 30% of the population. As China ages, can it retain the youthful dynamism now driving it? This book is an effort to try to capture the broad outlines of the significant economic, market, social, and demographic factors that will shape the future of China and the role that aging will play in the whole mix of influences. Aging in developed societies and economies has been widely studied. In such nations as Japan, Germany, Italy, and Spain, for example, we know that as populations age, their societies decline, leaving fewer younger workers to support the growing number of people who will become dependent on costly health care systems, or whose basic needs, such as food and shelter, will need to be subsidized. But less work has been done in assessing the potential impact of aging in developing countries, where the majority of people may be working poor, not middle classas in the case of China. As China restructures its economy, the old benefits packages previously available to urban workers (and not rural workers) are being replaced by a patchwork of benefits across a wide range of enterprises.

Author Biography

Robert Stowe served as director of research for the Global Aging Initiative at CSIS, from 1999 to 2002.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xvii
1. Introduction and Overview	1	(12)
Economic Reform	4	(2)
Job Growth	6	(2)
Global Role	8	(5)
2. Demography Shapes the Society	13	(21)
Longevity	14	(5)
Fertility	19	(10)
Internal Migration	29	(5)
3. China's Economy and Aging Society	34	(44)
Is China's Economy a Miracle?	36	(8)
Market Economy's Effects on China's Policies toward the Elderly	44	(34)
4. China's Social Service Programs	78	(31)
Programs for Urban Areas	79	(16)
Programs for Rural Areas	95	(2)
Health Care	97	(2)
Social Service Programs Vulnerable to Demographic Change	99	(10)
5. An Aging China in a Global Economy	109	(12)
Financing Future Programs	109	(8)
The Bottom Line	117	(4)
Select Bibliography	121	(8)
Index	129	(8)
About the Author	137