Countdown to Reform: The Great Social Security Debate

Aaron, Henry J.; Reischauer, Robert D.; Aaron, Henry J.; Reischauer, Robert D.

ISBN 10: 0870784234 / ISBN 13: 9780870784231

Published by The Century Foundation, 1998

About this Item

1st edition, Century Foundation Press hardcover w/ DJ, 1998. Book is VG, w/ clean text, tight binding. DJ is VG, w/ light edge/shelf wear (no tears or chips). Free delivery confirmation.

Seller Inventory # SKU1019962

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Countdown to Reform: The Great Social Security Debate
• Publisher: The Century Foundation
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0870784234
• ISBN 13: 9780870784231
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 12 ounces

About this title

Synopsis

With baby-boomer retirement drawing nearer, Social Security, long a "third rail" in American politics, has become fair game. When President Clinton launched national discussion in April on the future of the program, the loudest voices seemed to belong to those who claimed the system would go "bankrupt" and argued for scrapping it in favor of a privatized plan. Is the nation's premier social insurance program on the brink of collapse?

In this book, two of the nation's most widely respected economists argue that the "Chicken Little" view of Social Security--that future costs doom the current system--is so exaggerated that it is just plain wrong. Certainly, the retirement of the baby boom generation will require some adjustments, but they need be no greater in type or size than adjustments the government has adopted to deal with the overall budget deficit.

The book provides the historical background of the economic circumstances that different generations have faced in this century and shows how changes in Social Security has affected life in America. The authors also analyze the economic assumptions underlying current reform efforts, closely scrutinizing the increasingly popular proposals to privatize Social Security by transforming it from an insurance program to a system of individual retirement accounts.

About the Author

Henry J. Aaron and Robert D. Reischauer are senior fellows at the Brookings Institution. Aaron is also vice president of the National Academy of Social Insurance. Reischauer was director of the Congressional Budget Office from 1989 to 1995. They are coeditors of Setting National Priorities; 1999 (Brookings, forthcoming).