I was reading this recommended book and wondering how much of the late changes in our world is due to the demographic transitions—i.e., boomers. We know the population pyramid shape affects unemployment rates, wealth concentration (morever, think about how income predicts life expectancy, at least in very unequal countries—so one can expect a higher proportion of wealthier individuals in old age), and maybe even increasing health costs and votes—e.g., I just confirmed that, in Brazil, opinions about the government among young and old people are symmetrically opposite.
Idk what to infer from here. It seems to me there’s an elephant in the room: I read a lot about economics, philosophy and politics, and I’ve seen almost no mention of it but for discussions over one of those topics alone—never something concerning all of them. But I do think this should interest EAs, because much of our economic and political theory fails to account for an aging population—something quite remarkable in human history. So, I’d appreciate any tip to read something that takes demography seriously (except for Peter Turchin, whom I already follow).
I was reading this recommended book and wondering how much of the late changes in our world is due to the demographic transitions—i.e., boomers. We know the population pyramid shape affects unemployment rates, wealth concentration (morever, think about how income predicts life expectancy, at least in very unequal countries—so one can expect a higher proportion of wealthier individuals in old age), and maybe even increasing health costs and votes—e.g., I just confirmed that, in Brazil, opinions about the government among young and old people are symmetrically opposite.
Idk what to infer from here. It seems to me there’s an elephant in the room: I read a lot about economics, philosophy and politics, and I’ve seen almost no mention of it but for discussions over one of those topics alone—never something concerning all of them. But I do think this should interest EAs, because much of our economic and political theory fails to account for an aging population—something quite remarkable in human history. So, I’d appreciate any tip to read something that takes demography seriously (except for Peter Turchin, whom I already follow).