Demography and the economy / edited by John B. Shoven.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

The future of American fertility / rSamuel H. Preston and Caroline Sten Hartnett -- Comment: Gopi Shah Goda -- Fertility theories: can they explain the negative fertility-income relationship? / Larry E. Jones, Alice Schoonbroodt and Michèle Tertilt -- Comment: Amalia R. Miller -- Women's education and family behavior: trends in marriage, divorce and fertility / Adam Isen and Betsey Stevenson -- Comment: Enrico Moretti -- Adjusting government policies for age inflation / John B. Shoven and Gopi Shah Goda -- Comment: Warren C. Sanderson -- Old Europe ages: reforms and reform backlashes / Axel Börsch-Supan and Alexander Ludwig -- Comment: Alan J. Auerbach -- The final inequality: variance in age at death / Shripad Tuljapurkar -- Comment: Victor R. Fuchs -- Demographic trends, housing equity, and the financial security of future retirees / James M. Poterba, Steven F. Venti and, David A. Wise -- Comment: Thomas Davidoff -- Aging populations, pension operations, potential economic disappointment, and its allocation / Sylvester J. Schieber -- Comment: Steven F. Venti -- Financing Medicare: a general equilipbrium analysis / Orazio Attanasio, Sagiri Kitao, and Giovanni L. Violante -- Comment: Moshe Buchinsky -- Italians are late: does it matter? / Francesco C. Billari and Guido Tabellini -- Comment: Luigi Pistaferri

Demographics is a vital field of study for understanding social and economic change and it has attracted attention in recent years as concerns have grown over the aging populations of developed nations. Demographic studies help make sense of key aspects of the economy, offering insight into trends in fertility, mortality, immigration, and labor force participation, as well as age, gender, and race specific trends in health and disability. Demography and the Economy explores the connections between demography and economics, paying special attention to what demographic trends can reveal about the sustainability of traditional social security programs and the larger implications for economic growth. The volume brings together some of the leading scholars working at the border between the two disciplines, and it provides an eclectic overview of both fields. Contributors also offer deeper analysis of a variety of issues such as the impact of greater wealth on choices about marriage and childbearing and the effects of aging populations on housing prices, Social Security, and Medicare.