Comment: Health and Well-Being in Udaipur and South Africa

Book Abstract: Ten papers, originally presented at a conference held in Carefree, Arizona, in May 2005, examine emerging issues in the economics of aging. Papers discuss life cycle asset allocation strategies and the distribution of 401(k) retirement wealth; reducing the complexity costs of 401(k) participation through quick enrollment; population aging and intergenerational transfers--introducing age into national accounts; the effect of large capital gains or losses on retirement; early retirement, social security, and well-being in Germany; health and well-being advantages of the better educated--socioeconomic status and the ability to cope with underlying impairment; why Europeans smoke more than Americans; trends in prescription drug use by the disabled elderly; health and well-being in Udaipur and South Africa; and the socioeconomic health gradient on both sides of the Atlantic. Wise is John F. Stambaugh Professor of Political Economy in the John F. Kennedy School of Business at Harvard University and Director of the program on the Economics of Aging at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Name and subject indexes.