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In this important and timely book, researchers from different countries compare their experiences and offer contrasting views on the future of social protection. They consider the theoretical aspects of the intergenerational debate, relations between generations within the family, the living standards of elderly people, and the question of social time. For the first time in history, three and sometimes four generations are living at the same time; this book examines the new interactions between family change, labour force participation and population ageing.
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Ages, Generations and the Social Contract
Ages, Generations and the Social Contract The Demographic Challenges Facing the Welfare State by
JACQUES VÉRON Institut National d’Etudes Démographiques, Paris, France
SOPHIE PENNEC Institut National d’Etudes Démographiques, Paris, France
JACQUES LÉGARÉ Université de Montréal, QC, Canada
A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-4020-5972-8 (HB) ISBN 978-1-4020-5973-5 (e-book)
Published by Springer, P.O. Box 17, 3300 AA Dordrecht, The Netherlands. www.springer.com
Printed on acid-free paper
All Rights Reserved © 2007 Springer No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.
CONTENTS
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jacques Véron and Sophie Pennec
ix
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . François Héran
xi
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jacques Véron, Sophie Pennec, Jacques Légaré
1
PART I
Changing Background of Intergenerational Relationships
15
1. Demographic Change, Welfare, and Intergenerational Transfers: A Global Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ronald D. Lee
17
2. Demographic Context of the Social Contract in Developed Countries: Unity and Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jacques Véron and Sophie Pennec
45
PART II
Generations, Social Contract and Labour Force Participation: Theoretical and Empirical Issues
59
3. Economics of the Intergenerational Debate: Normative, Accounting and Political Viewpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . André Masson
61
4. Reorganizing the Activity Cycle: The Stakes in a New Social Contract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bernard Perret
105
v
vi
CONTENTS
5. Social Contract and Age at Retirement: Some Elements of a Franco-American Comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patrick Aubert, Didier Blanchet, David Blau
115
6. Longevity and Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pierre Pestieau
155
PART III
167
Family and Relationships Between Generations
7. Changes to the Legal Relationship Between Grandparents and Grandchildren in Quebec: