Demographics of Aging

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Demographics of Aging
Spring 2004
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Introduction to GLOBAL AGING
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Population Growth A DemonstrationFROM Museum
fuer Mensch und Natur, Munich, Germany
(2003) ___________________________________________
_________ Population Clock human history (1500 BC
- 2004AD) each red light 10 mil people
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1500 B.C. 75 million
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500 A. D. 200 million
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800 A.D. 220 million
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1950 A.D. 2,5 billion
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2004 A.D. 6,4 billion
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• Food for Thought
• What are the reasons and the policy implications
  for the following trends?
• Many Third world nations have both
• high birth rates and increased
• survival rates.
• Many highly developed nations have
• low birth rates and low mortality rates

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Lets hear now a short segment from a speech
given by on the meaning of old age in the
developing world Dr. Julia de Alvarez TavaresUN
Ambassador, Dominican Republic (1989-93) She
was Keynote Speaker at a conference on global
aging (National Council on Aging, NCOA)
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Summary on Global Aging

• Population growth is caused not only by high
  levels of fertility but also by increasing life
  expectancies, i.e., declining rates of mortality.
  
• We are beginning to understand that population
  aging affects many areas of our lives and has
  become a major global issue in our time.

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The Economic Conundrum of an Aging Population

As weve seen, both developed and developing
countries are faced with growing older
populations. Let us now explore Robert Ayres
argument.
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• What is Robert Ayres argument?
• What economic problems, associated with a
  growing older population, are dominant in
  affluent countries?
• What economic problems, associated with
  population growth and old age security, are
  dominant in poor countries?
• What is his prescription for this economic
  conundrum?

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Explain Robert Ayres conclusion. What is the
dilemma we are facing and how would his
prescription help solve this economic
conundrum. The only real chance of escaping this
dilemma is to eliminate the huge economic
inequities that now prevail in the world.

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Homework for this class READ Chapter 6, esp.
The Aging Body, p. 125-147. Note The third
paper, a reaction paper on the Aging Simulation
is due on 10/7.