ABSTRACT
Postindustrial societies today contend with a new population dynamics that has never before existed in their demographic history. As the number of older people grows, countries such as Japan and the United States must determine how to best organize themselves to provide for the needs of this population, while fostering the sense of social contract for the society as a whole. The constraints are real: fiscal and material resources are limited and must be shared in a way that is perceived to be just. These societies must therefore ultimately confront the fundamental question of who gets what, how, and why, to formulate their aging policies in the twenty-first century.
