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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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The imaginary time bomb
— why an ageing population is not a social problem | | Author(s) | Phil Mullan |
| Publisher | I B Tauris, London, 2000 |
| Pages | 239 pp |
| Source | I B Tauris & Co Ltd, Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, London WC1B 4DZ. |
| Keywords | Ageing process ; Demography ; Economic status [elderly] ; Pensions ; Health services ; Economics ; Social policy. |
| Annotation | The growing preoccupation with ageing has nothing to do with the direct impact of demographic changes. The conclusion of this book is that the contemporary mindset of uncertainty makes society susceptible to the notion of a population time bomb. The negative presumption of "too many old people" has become a motif for many of Western societies' anxieties. The author assesses both the reality and changing perceptions of ageing during the last two centuries. The form which this preoccupation has taken in the last two decades is examined. The author explains why it is incorrect to assume that an ageing population necessarily becomes an insupportable burden on society. He expands the argument with reference to two specific concerns arising from an older population: the provisions of pensions and of health care respectively. The general assumption that an older population structure has adverse implications for the economy and economic growth is challenged. While society is ageing, it is wrong to attribute this as the source of all, or any, of society's contemporary problems. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-000328202 B |
| Classmark | BG: S8: F:W: JJ: L: W: TM2 |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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