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If you have chosen old age as your focus for the semester's work, choose
THREE (or more!) of the following texts. You will need to order them and
have them available at the beginning of classes. The Creighton
University bookstore will process special orders, or you can get them through
your local book store or online. It really doesn't matter to me how you
get them. Use your own judgment and value system to make this
decision. What does matter is that you, in fact, have them for use at the
beginning of the semester!
Places to look: amazon.com, half.com, borders.com, bn.com AND
 | http://www.bigwords.com -- Put in
the ISBNs of each of your choices. Bigwords will search the available
internet outlets and will return the best available total price, considering
availability, shipping, sales prices, special deals etc. When you have
the whole set ready, Bigwords leads you step by step through the purchase
process from the vendor(s) with the best total deal for you. It is a
totally cool way to find the books you need for this course! |
| The Economics of Aging. James H. Schulz.
2001. 7th edition. Auburn House Publishing, ISBN: 0865692955. RAL:
HD7105.35U6S38 2001
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Economics of aging.
Student review by Joe Waters Description: Still
the definitive book on the subject, this volume has been thoroughly revised to cover
rapidly changing aspects of the economics of aging. It provides an in-depth
examination of the nation's evolving private and public policies on retirement, pension,
and health, including, for instance, the dramatic changes in employer-sponsored
pensions. New attention is given to the retirement of baby boomer and the financial
situation of older women. Other topics added to this edition include the proposed
new way of measuring poverty, new economic implications of demographic aging, the concept
of 'productive aging,' an update on reverse annuity mortgages, hybrid pension plans and
pension privatization, and current information of Social Security. |
| Challenges to Social Security. James
Midgley, Martin B.
Tracy, editors. 1996. Auburn House Pub., ISBN: 0865692440 RAL:
HD7091C48 1996
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U.S., Britain, Poland, Uruguay, Turkey, Zimbabwe; Social Security Examines
problems facing social security systems. Concludes that though cross-cultural
generalizations are dangerous, administrators and politicians in industrialized countries
tend to face political pressures and structural constraints that limit their ability to
respond to changing conditions, and in developing countries they must also deal with the
growing disparity both between and within countries. |
| The Marketization of Social Security. John Dixon and Mark
Hyde. 2001, Quorum Books, ISBN: 1567203256. RAL: HD7091 .M235
2001
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Latin America, Asia, Europe, North America, Africa; Social
security Much could be gained from the privatization of social security--but can the gains actually be delivered? Dixon, Hyde, and their contributing authors take a balanced look at where we are now, and where we seem to be moving, on the issues of social security privatization and come up skeptical. There will be tradeoffs, but will the benefits outweigh the costs? Their volume examines a variety of settings in Latin America, Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa, where the
"marketization" of social security appears most hotly contested. As a contribution to this new, energetic global policy discourse, the book will be of special interest to policymakers in the public and private sectors, and particularly in organizations where concerns about the growing cost of employee benefits have become critical. |
| Social Security and Retirement Around the World (National Bureau of
Economic Research Conference Report). Jonathan Gruber, David A. Wise,
editors. ISBN: 0226310116 RAL: HD7090S583 1999
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Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands,
Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States; Aging In nearly every
industrialized country, the population is aging rapidly and individuals are living longer,
demographic trends that have strained the financial viability of these countries' social
security systems. The financial strain has been compounded by another trend:
workers are leaving the labor force at increasingly younger ages. What accounts for
this striking decline in labor force participation? One explanation is that social
security programs actually provide incentives for early retirement. Social
Security Programs and Retirement Around the World houses a set of remarkable papers
that present information on the social security systems, and labor force participation
patterns.
Social Security and Retirement around the World presents comparable descriptive data
and analytic calculations for each of the eleven countries discussed. The chapters
begin with a description of the historical evolution of labor force participation and then
present data on the current age-specific activities and income sources of men and
women. Each paper then goes on to describe the institutional features of the
country's social security system, highlighting any interactions with other public
programs. |
| Sustaining Social Security. 1997. United Nations
Publications, ISBN: 9211301858. RAL: HD7090U54 1997
|
Chile, Hungary, Togo and China; Culture and social security. Student review by
Christina Becker In
many societies, informal social structures, notably the family, have traditionally assumed
responsibility for those who had no means of livelihood. However, these structures
have themselves changed and are no longer so effective as safety nets. Of particular
importance, families are smaller and have fewer members of working age to support those
who are not working.
The social security provided by Governments as a complement to these informal
structures varies greatly in nature and magnitude from country to country. Almost
universally, however, government systems are or soon will be facing severe resource
constraints. The need for change and reform is clear. Governments considering
how they can best meet the needs of their citizens must do so in the light of an
increasingly competitive and integrated international economic environment.
Demographic factors, an increase in personal economic insecurity and the erosion of
various informal social safety nets have caused social security issues to become the
subject of national policy debate around the world. Those changes, together with an
emerging new consensus on the respective roles of the State and individuals, have ushered
in a period of innovation and experimentation in addressing the needs of the vulnerable
members of all societies.
Sustaining Social Security explores the central problems of social security
and alternative solutions to them. Part one addresses conceptual problems of system
design and governance, while part two examines how these problems have been addressed in a
selection of country situations. |
| The Struggle for Social Security, 1900-1935. Roy
Lubove.
1986. University of Pittsburgh Press, ISBN: 082295379X. RAL:
HD7125L8 1986 |
History (1900-1935); Social Security; U.S. focus For
Americans in the 1980s, both young and old, social security is an integral part of
economic life, and even political conservatives are loathe to tamper with it.
Today, more than fifty years after the Social Security Act of 1935, it is easy to forget
that such programs of assistance were launched in a hostile climate.
In the first third of the century, proposals for workmen's compensation, unemployment
or health insurance, widows' or old age pensions met resistance on the grounds that such
aid diminished the dignity of the individual. Opponents charged that charitable
agencies performed their tasks well enough and t hat government participation in social
welfare would only encourage pauperism.
In The Struggle for Social Security Roy Lubove describes the clash between the
traditional American ethic of individualism and voluntarism and the new movement for a
positive government role in welfare assistance. Lubove also considers the struggle
within the social security movement. Some saw social security primarily as a means
to relieve the burdens of unfortunate individuals in modern society. Others saw it
in grander terms - an opportunity to change American society fundamentally by
redistributing wealth. Lubove concludes his study with the actual legislative
enactments of 1935 when, after the experience of the Great Depression, social insurance
came into its own. |
| Pensions, Politics, and the Elderly: Historical Social
Movements and Their Lessons for Our Aging Society. Daniel J. B. Mitchell.
2000. M.E. Sharpe, ISBN: 0-7656-0519-8. RAL:
HD7105.35U6M57 2000
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History (1920's - present); Aging; U.S. focus This
book suggests a scenario for the aging baby boom in the United States. It relies on
past experience, namely developments centered in California in the 1920s, 1930s, and
1940s. In that time and place the politics of the elderly had a major impact on the
local and national scene. In particular, California was the home of the "Ham
and Eggs" movement, a plan to pay citizens fifty years old and over "$30 Every
Thursday" in a new California currency. And it was home of other elderly-based
pension movements as well.
In the next two chapters, Mitchell describes the Ham and Eggs movement and how it
developed. He will show that the Ham and Eggs plan was a natural outgrowth of the
elderly demographics of California. The creation of Ham and Eggs - and the related
movements described in chapters 4 and 5 - reflected the economic frustration of the
elderly along with various currents of popular economic thought prevalent at the
time. And Mitchell will argue that the retirement of the baby boomers will produce a
twenty-first century counterpart to Ham and Eggs - that is, a political movement (or
movements) coined from the thinking of that future era and earlier developments. |
| Framing the Social Security Debate:
Values, Politics, and Economics (Conference of the National Academy of Social Insurance).
R. Douglas Arnold, Michael J. Graetz, Alicia H. Munnell, editors. 1998.
National Academy of Social Insurance, ISBN: 0815701535. RAL:
HD7125F73 1998
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Social Security Reform In his 1998 State of the Union address, President Clinton challenged
Americans to a public debate about how to fix the long-term financial problems of Social
Security. This annual volume of the National Academy of Social Insurance provides a
framework for that debate. Competing reform proposals reflect contrasting views
about the nature of the Social Security problem and how to solve it. This book
examines issues about privatization, national savings and economic growth, the political
risks and realities in reforms, lessons from private pension developments in the United
States, and the efforts of other advanced industrial countries to adapt their old-age
pensions to an aging population. It also poses philosophical arguments about
collective versus individual responsibility and the implications of market risks and
political risks for stable and secure retirement income policy.
Also available on the web as an electronic
book. Go to RAL, CLIC, search for book title. Click on " Electronic Access" and follow
instructions. |
| Issues in Privatizing Social Security:
Report of an Expert Panel of the National Academy of Social Insurance. Peter A
Diamond, editor. 1999. MIT Press, ISBN: 0262041774. RAL:
HD7125N283 1999
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Student review
by Mark Burgers; Student
review by Nate Eilers and Scott Haiar Description: Two types of changes to Social Security have been
proposed. One would keep the current defined-benefit structure but build and
maintain a larger trust fund, to be partially invested in stocks and corporate
bonds. The other would set up individual funded accounts, also to be partially
invested in private markets. Both would raise taxes or lower benefits in the near
term to increase funds for paying future benefits.
This
study addresses many important aspects of these politically charged proposals. The
questions discussed include: Should Social Security have more advance funding?
Should Social Security funds be invested in the stock market? If investments
are organized by the government, what independent institutions would shield portfolio
decisions and corporate governance from political pressures? If investments are
privately organized, what would be the regulatory structure? Finally, should Social
Security include individual defined-contribution accounts or stay with traditional defined
benefits?
Also available on the web as an electronic
book. Go to RAL, CLIC, search for book title. Click on "Electronic Access" and follow instructions. |
| Social Security in the 21st Century.
Eric R. Kingson, James H. Schulz, editors. 1997. Oxford University Press,
ISBN: 0195104250. RAL: HD7125S59923 1997
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Student review by
Mike Lindeman and Jeff Eikmeier
This informative book offers an introduction to the
basic economic, demographic, and political aspects of social security, and addresses the
questions most often asked regarding this subject. It offers the historical
background, concepts, statistics, and options necessary to make informed judgments about
the program, and addresses issues such as intergenerational equity, gender discrimination,
and the future entitlement programs in a time of reduced government spending.
Perfect for people who would like a comprehensive overview on social security, this book
offers an authoritative but balanced discussion of all issues of concern.
|
| Social Security and Medicare: Individual
versus Collective Risk and Responsibility. Sheila Burke, Eric R.
Kingson, Uwe Reinhard, editors. 2000. Brookings Institute, ISBN: 0815712839. RAL:
HD7125S5957 2000
|
This volume examines the concept of introducing
choice into the Social Security and Medicare programs, how it would be defined and
structured, and what sort of safeguards would be needed to protect program
participants. The ideas, from representatives of the public and private sectors,
range from "tinkering" to "overhauling" the programs to make them more
responsive and cost-effective. The contributors provide an overview of the history
and fundamental values of social insurance, discuss options for reforming Social Security
and Medicare, review the benefits and drawbacks of expanding, choice options, explore the
types of mechanisms needed to protect consumers if market-based are adopted, and addresses
the political likelihood of Social Security and Medicare reforms. The essays
in this volume give parameters to the debate over the future of Social Security and
Medicare, and reflect the range and diversity of views which will shape these two hallmark
social insurance programs for decades to come. |
| Who Will Care for Us?: Aging and
Long-Term Care in Multicultural America. Ronald J. Angel, Jacqueline L.
Angel. 1999. New York University Press, ISBN: 0814706835. RAL------ HV1461F56513 1997
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Student
review by Mike Soucie
Description: In this book, we examine the great racial and
ethnic diversity among the elderly in the contemporary United States in terms of living
arrangements, economic well-being, and reliance on formal and family-based sources of
support. Our goal is to assess levels of need for long-term care for the elderly
among blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites and to examine possible alternatives to
institutionalization.
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