Demographic Change in Germany

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XIV

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2. Consequences of Demographic Change in Germany: An Introduction

   • Helmut Seitz, Martin Werding

   Pages 1-7

3. Demographic Change in Germany

   • Charlotte Höhn, Ralf Mai, Frank Micheel

   Pages 9-33

4. The Effects of Aging on Labor Markets and Economic Growth

   • Willi Leibfritz, Werner Roeger

   Pages 35-63

5. The Impact of Global Aging on Capital Markets and Housing

   • Axel Börsch-Supan

   Pages 65-88

6. Social Insurance: How to Pay for Pensions and Health Care?

   • Martin Werding

   Pages 89-128

7. The Impact of Demographic Change on Fiscal Policy in Germany

   • Helmut Seitz

   Pages 129-163

8. Education and Fertility in Germany

   • Michaela Kreyenfeld, Dirk Konietzka

   Pages 165-187

9. Perspectives on the Political Governance of Demographic Change

   • Johannes Meier

   Pages 189-203

10. Back Matter

    Pages 205-216

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Just as one might be inclined to thinkthat every thing about demographic change has been already said and heard, a new dimension opens up. In fact, this is what makes the topic so fascinating. There is nothing trivial any longer about children, families, age, and care. Europe is undergoing profound demo graphic change. Each generation of children is quantitatively smaller than that of their parents; the propor tion of children and adolescents among the population is becoming smaller and smaller, while that of the elde rlyi s growing inexorably. Fewer and fewer people are marrying; more and more marriages are failing. Manyar eas of our society are affected by this; just think about the challenges faced by the social security systems as a result of demographic ageing. Politi cians and society are forced to adju st todem ographic change. Many people in Europe are concerned about these changes and are looking to politicians and researchers for solutions. Predictions are never easy, especially not about the future. Demographic indicators are among the safest guidelines into the unknown. Children un born today will certainly not contribute to social systems during the next years and will not pay back debt accumulated by previous generations. Not many politicians dare to negate the fact that this is about the future of our society. The media have contributed heavily to a general feeling that some thing has to be done. However, what exactly shouldbe done is widely dis puted.

• Aging
• Demography
• Economic Growth
• Public Finance
• demographic change
• education
• fertility
• fiscal policy
• growth
• labor market
• labor markets
• social security

• Robert Bosch Stiftung, Stuttgart, Germany

  Ingrid Hamm

• Lehrstuhl für Empirische Finanzwissenschaft und Finanzpolitik, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

  Helmut Seitz

• ifo Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, München, Germany

  Martin Werding

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