Implications of Population Ageing: Opportunities and Risks.

AuthorMurdoch, William
PositionBook review

IMPLICATIONS OF POPULATION AGEING: OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS Edited by JONATHAN BOSTON and JUDITH A. DAVEY INSTITUTE OF POLICY STUDIES, VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON

The demographic profile of New Zealand's population for the forthcoming decades is already established; the population is growing older and can only be altered by a major change in the mortality rate. An often-projected view is that population ageing will have negative consequences for society--for example, fiscal consequences through increased New Zealand Superannuation and health costs and social consequences through the burden of additional familial care responsibilities. How much fact underlies this rhetoric? As Jonathan Boston and Judith Davey point out in their conclusion to Implications of Population Ageing: Opportunities and Risks, we do not know how changes in the age structure of the population will affect social attitudes, values, norms and behaviours. There is much uncertainty over key social and economic variables. Knowledge is developing through ongoing research into the impact of population ageing and a government initiative like the New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy is an encouraging development.

Boston and Davey's collection is a timely publication, which draws attention to many of population ageing issues. Andrew Ladley in his foreword states that this book is an attempt to tackle current issues associated with population ageing and to look ahead into longer-term considerations. He points out that retirement in the 21st century may have quite a different meaning, if it survives at all as a distinct life event. To consider these issues, Boston and Davey have compiled contributions that take a New Zealand perspective to exploring the implications of population ageing, especially those that impinge on policy development and evaluation.

The book is well structured and coherent, with Chapters 2-6 providing the reader with an introduction to key factors associated with population ageing. Building on the analysis in the first half of the book, Chapters 7-11 discuss how population ageing affects specific aspects of society and the economy.

In Chapter 2 Kim Dunstan and Nicholas Thomson, using the latest projections from Statistics New Zealand, present a demographic summary of New Zealand's ageing population, which provides the reader with the ideal background for relating to the subsequent contributions. The information serves as a good basis for other...

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