East-West Center Research Program Seminar

October 19, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Mānoa Campus, East-West Center, Burns Hall, Room 3012

Population Aging and the Generational Economy: Key Findings


Dr. Andrew Mason

Professor of Economics, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Senior Fellow, Research Program, East-West Center

Tuesday, October 19, 2010, Noon – 1pm
John A. Burns Hall, Room 3012 (3rd floor)

Until recently changes in age structure were favorable for most countries as populations became increasingly concentrated in the working ages. For some countries in Asia and most in Africa, this trend continues today. But elsewhere—in the West, East Asia, and Latin America—the share of the working-age population is in decline or soon will be, as the share of the elderly population grows. Many concerns have been raised about this trend: bankruptcy for publicly funded health care and pensions systems, slower economic growth and possibly decline, unfair treatment of children vis-à-vis the elderly, the collapse of financial markets, and the burdening of future generations, to name a few. Is there cause for concern? If so, what steps should be taken to meet the economic challenges that lie ahead.

In order to answer these questions, a network of researchers in thirty-three countries in six continents are developing comprehensive economic data that is being used to answer many of the basic questions about the effects of population aging on national economies. This seminar will present some of the key findings that are emerging from this project.

Andrew Mason is Professor of Economics, University of Hawaii at Manoa and Senior Fellow at the East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii. He is a member of the Center for the Economics and Demography of Aging (CEDA) at the University of California, Berkeley. He co-directs the National Transfer Account project, an international network of researchers from more than thirty countries who are developing a comprehensive approach to studying the systems on which countries rely to meet the economic needs of children and the elderly. National Transfer Accounts (www.ntaccounts.org) are being used to study the evolution of familial support systems, public pensions, health care, and education systems and their influence on economic growth, generational equity, and other features of the economy.


Event Sponsor
East-West Center Research Program, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Laura Moriyama, 944-7444, Laura.Moriyama@eastwestcenter.org

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