The Contents of the Project

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Aim of the Project

 Intergenerational issues have become one of the most immediate and important social concerns over recent years not only in Japan but also around the world. Especially in pension and healthcare programs where income is transferred among different generations, a rapid population aging/decline of the society may intensify intergenerational conflicts. Countries are struggling to solve these intergenerational issues, in most cases on a makeshift basis. Senior citizens have growing political powers, and they are more likely to receive excess redistribution of income. Some concern adverse effects of this redistribution on resource allocation.

  Furthermore, employment opportunities for young and elderly people is a serious and pressing issue in developed countries, as the unemployment rate among the youth rises while the pressure for more employment for the elderly increases. At the same time, the number of NEET (not in employment, education or training) workers and permanent part-time workers increases, whereas the diversified work-style becomes increasingly prominent especially among women.

 This project makes both theoretical and empirical analyses of intergenerational issues from an economic point of view. It addresses pension, health care and employment problems in the context of the population aging/decline. It clarifies current and future intergenerational situations of economic well-being, examines cohort-by-cohort motivations to mitigate intergenerational conflicts, deepens conceptual understanding of intergenerational equity, and provides a new analytical framework to overcome a dilemma between equity and efficiency of intertemporal resource allocation. It also provides solid policy recommendations.
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