John Myles and Jill Quadagno (eds.). States, Labor Markets, and the Future of Old Age Policy. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1991, pp. 324.

Abstract

The main questions raised in this work are related to the different answers which various highly industrialized countries gave when responding to situations arising from common elements such as the rapid aging of the populations in the said countries, the noticeable increase in the proportion of public spending committed to the aging population and the tendency for people to retire early from the job market. Nine chapters deal with the situation as it stands in different countries, while five others cover the main themes while comparing a few of the countries concerned. Despite a few weaknesses, overall this book merits careful reading, since most of the chapters it contains discuss at length the evolution of aging policies over the past 30 years while providing extremely stimulating interpretations and hypotheses.