TY - BOOK ID - 143559 TI - The gift of generations : Japanese and American perspectives on aging and the social contract PY - 1996 SN - 0521555205 0521483077 0511571070 PB - Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, DB - UniCat KW - Age group sociology KW - United States KW - Japan KW - Older people KW - Social contract KW - Personnes âgées KW - Contrat social KW - Cross-cultural studies KW - Services for KW - Family relationships KW - Etudes transculturelles KW - Services KW - Relations familiales KW - Personnes âgées KW - Social Sciences KW - Anthropology KW - Social compact KW - Consensus (Social sciences) KW - Political science KW - Sociology KW - Sovereignty KW - United States of America UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:143559 AB - Modern societies today contend with population dynamics that have never before existed. As the number of older people grows, these countries must determine how best to provide for the needs of this population. The constraints are real: fiscal and material resources are finite and must be shared in a way that is perceived as just. As such, societies confront the fundamental question of who gets what, how, and why, and ultimately must reappraise the principles determining why some people are considered more worthy of help than others. This study systematically explores the Japanese and American answers to this fundamental question. This is the only US-Japan comparative work of its kind, utilizing systematically comparable data from both countries. It also draws on interview material that presents the choices, disappointments, and satisfactions of old age in the individual's own words. ER -