title: What can we learn from (and about) global aging?
abstract: Although aging is a global phenomenon, there are large differences across countries in both the speed of aging and the current age composition. Furthermore, countries adopt vastly different policies. This creates a natural laboratory that scientists can use to understand how policies affect outcomes. I discuss under what circumstances data from different countries can be used for inference about policy effects. Although comparable health and retirement data are currently being collected in some 25 countries, the use of such data requires careful modeling of differences in institutions and in response styles across countries.
authors.affiliation: Labor and Population, RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90407, USA. kapteyn@rand.org
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kapteyn
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001723:Birth Rate / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010415:Pensions; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011640:Public Policy; D012179:Retirement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012744:Sex Ratio