Insights in the Economics of Aging (National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report)

The fraction of the population over age sixty-five in many developed countries is projected to rise, in some cases sharply, in coming decades. This has drawn growing interest to research on the health and economic circumstances of individuals as they age. Many individuals are retiring from paid work, yet they are living longer than ever. Their well-being is shaped by their past decisions such as their saving behavior, as well as by current and future economic conditions, health status, medical innovations, and a rapidly evolving landscape of policy incentives and supports. The contributions to __Insights in the Economics of Aging__ uncover how financial, physical, and emotional well-being are integrally related. The authors consider the interactions between financial circumstances in later life, such as household savings and home ownership, physical circumstances such as health and disability, and emotional well-being, including happiness and mental health. This volume marks thirty years since the inception of the NBER program on aging, and is the sixteenth in a series of NBER volumes that highlight economics of aging research. When the program began, the baby boom generation was in their 20s and 30s, and life expectancy at older ages was nearly three years shorter than it is today. Today, the leading edge of the baby boom generation is entering their 70s. Many are retiring from paid work, yet they are living longer than ever. Their health and financial wellbeing are shaped by individual decisions people made through the life course; as well as by unanticipated events, economic conditions, medical innovations, and a rapidly evolving landscape of policy incentives and supports. What is most apparent from the mass of research conducted through the program over the years is how integrally related are the multiple dimensions of people’s wellbeing. The current volume is organized in three sections, corresponding to three aspects of wellbeing: financial, physical and emotional. The first four chapters look at factors relating to people’s financial circumstances in later life, such as saving, homeownership, and the use of accumulated assets in retirement. The next five chapters in the volume focus on health and disability. The last two chapters explore issues in mental health, emotional wellbeing, life satisfaction, or happiness Présentation de l'éditeur : "The fraction of the population over age sixty-five in many developed countries is projected to rise, in some cases sharply, in coming decades. This has drawn growing interest to research on the health and economic circumstances of individuals as they age. Many individuals are retiring from paid work, yet they are living longer than ever. Their well-being is shaped by their past decisions such as their saving behavior, as well as by current and future economic conditions, health status, medical innovations, and a rapidly evolving landscape of policy incentives and supports. The contributions to Insights in the Economics of Aging uncover how financial, physical, and emotional well-being are integrally related. The authors consider the interactions between financial circumstances in later life, such as household savings and home ownership, physical circumstances such as health and disability, and emotional well-being, including happiness and mental health." The fraction of the population over age sixty-five in many developed countries is projected to rise, in some cases sharply, in coming decades. This has drawn growing interest to research on the health and economic circumstances of individuals as they age. Many individuals are retiring from paid work, yet they are living longer than ever. Their well-being is shaped by their past decisions such as their saving behavior, as well as by current and future economic conditions, health status, medical innovations, and a rapidly evolving landscape of policy incentives and supports. The contributions to Insights in the Economics of Aging uncover how financial, physical, and emotional well-being are integrally related. The authors consider the interactions between financial circumstances in later life, such as household savings and home ownership, physical circumstances such as health and disability, and emotional well-being, including happiness and mental health. -- Provided by publisher