Age Structure, Intergenerational Transfers and Economic Growth : an Overview

Age structure, intergenerational transfers and economic growth : an overview Ronald Lee This paper offers an anahjtic synthesis and critique of recent literature exploring the role of age structure in models of steady state economic growth. Some studies overstate the benefits of rapid population growth by focusing on pension costs to the exclusion of child dependency ; others overestimate the costs because they treat children as autonomous decision makers. When children are viewed as house-hold members, the effects of age distribution appear smaller. In any case, more rapid population growth depresses capital per worker and therefore per capita incarne; this effect of growth appears to dominate the age distribution effects.nome. Lorsque l'on envisage les enfants comme membres du ménage, les effets de la répartition par âge paraissent moins importants. Dans tous les cas, une croissance démographique plus rapide abaisse le capital par travailleur et, donc, le revenu par tête ; il semble que cet effet de croissance domine les effets de la répartition par âge.Lee Ronald. Age Structure, Intergenerational Transfers and Economic Growth : an Overview. In: Revue économique, volume 31, n°6, 1980. pp. 1129-1156