Main description:

China, which is fast on its way to becoming the most powerful economic force in the world, has four unique characteristics that distinguish it from other countries in Asia: (1) The proportion of aging population is growing faster than that of Japan (the country previously recognized as having the fastest rate) and much faster than nations in western Europe. (2) An early arrival of an aging population before modernization has fully taken place, with social policy implications. It is certain that China will face a severely aged population before it has sufficient time and resources to establish an adequate social security and service system for older people. (3) There will be fluctuations in the total dependency ratio. The Chinese government estimates are that the country will reach a higher dependent burden earlier in the twenty-first century than was previously forecast. (4) The government’s fertility policy (single child per family) and its implementation has a strong influence on the aging process. Fewer children are being born, but with more elderly people a conflict arises between the objectives to limit population increase and yet maintain a balanced age structure (Peng and Guo 2001). The intersection of these fourfold factors means that the increased aging population is giving rise to serious concerns among Chinese social policy makers. There is a chronic lack of good resource materials that attempt to make sense of social policy in its relationship to examining the problems and possibilities of human aging grounded in an analysis of economic of social policy in China and impact on rural and urban spaces. Such analysis of China will be covered by conceptual, theoretical, and empirical approaches. The book will also discuss substantive topics of housing, community care, family care, pensions, and mental health. The book brings together a truly world class array of researchers to provide discussions of critical implications of aging social policy and the economic impact in China.

Feature:

A timely volume given China’s emerging role in the world economy and current high profile of comparative studies of social welfare

Includes a cross-disciplinary roster of expert contributors

Discussions of social policy and effects on older people in China allow debates about the impact of health and social welfare on contemporary social life

Back cover:

Aging in China
Implications to Social Policy of a Changing Economic State
Sheying Chen and Jason L. Powell, editors
China’s elder population is on the rise—at a faster rate than anywhere else on the globe, and with fewer young people to support them. These statistics are of no small importance to a nation growing in economic power and world status, or to those looking to China for a deeper understanding of an aging world. Aging in China examines the current picture and future challenges in light of the steps being taken toward comprehensive elder policy after decades of the One Child Law. Approaching China’s complex social policy landscape through conceptual, theoretical, and empirical perspectives, expert contributors analyze critical issues regarding pensions, long-term care, housing, caregiver burden, care inequities between urban and rural sectors, and the economics of providing for a burgeoning population of older people. Included in the coverage:
The development of income security policies for the elderly.
Social policy, family support, and rural elder care.
Gendered social capital and health outcomes among older adults.
An East/West approach to mind-body health among Chinese elders.
Family caregiving and its impact on caregiver mental health.
The evolution of Chinese nonprofit organizations and elder care homes.

As a core resource for nation-specific or comparative study, Aging in China will interest readers across a wide range of disciplines, including gerontologists, sociologists, cross-cultural and health psychologists, and public health policymakers.

Contents:

Chapter 1. Introduction: Social Policy of the Changing Economic State.- Chapter 2. China and the Bio medicalization of Aging: Implications and Possibilities.- Chapter 3. Aging: The Role of Work and Workplace Implications - Changing Expectations in the US and China.- Chapter 4. Pensions and Social Assistance: The Development of Income Security Policies for Old People in China.- Chapter 5. Rural Old Age Support in Transitional China: Efforts between Family and State.- Chapter 6. Social Policy, Family Support, and Rural Elder Care.- Chapter 7. China’s Family Support System: Impact of Rural-Urban Female Labor Migration.- Chapter 8. The Utility of Enhancing Filial Piety for Eldercare in China.- Chapter 9. Gendered Social Capital and Health Outcomes among Older Adults in China.- Chapter 10. An East-West Approach to Mind-Body Health of Chinese Elderly.- Chapter 11. Family Caregiving and Impact on Caregiver Mental Health: A Study in Shanghai .- Chapter 12. Housing Stratification and Aging in Urban China.- Chapter 13. Institutional Care.- Chapter 14. Chaning Welfare Institution and Evolution of Chinese Nonprofit Organizations: The Story of Elder Care Homes in Urban Shanghai.- Chapter 15. Aging Policy Integrative Appraisal System (Apias) in the Asia Pacific Region: A Case Study on Macao Special Administrative Region.