ABSTRACT
Development initiatives and population policies adopted in the 1960s and 1970s have helped to reduce fertility and mortality rates, with rising life expectancy due to improvements in health in many developing countries but mainly in the Asian region. As a consequence many countries are experiencing demographic transition from a young to an increasingly older population (Hussain et al. 2006; Dyson 2010). With this in mind it is important to understand how social and economic changes have affected or will affect the well-being and support situation of present or future older people, and how older people’s needs and position in society are related to development issues and the consequences for policy. This has particular implications for developing countries that need to recognise ageing and development as part of poverty reduction strategies (see Desai and Tye 2009; Aboderin and Ferreira 2008).
