0249 Hudson, Robert B. Political and Budgetary Consequences In: National Journal, The Economics of (National Journal Issues Book) Washington, DC, Government Research Corporation, 1978. 70 pp. • Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. Political and budgetary implications of the aging American population are elucidated. Sources of budgetary pressure on old-age policies include rising costs for old-age and survivors insurance and health care, and public opinion regarding Government spending. It is suggested that there appears to be a growing need for reassessment of the distribution of expenditures toward the aging population and an increase in competitive pressure from other social welfare constituencies who see their programs threatened by the rising costs of oldage policies. pro-gen. 0250 Louis Harris and Associates, Inc. 1979 Study of American Attitudes Toward Pensions and Retirement: A Nationwide Survey of Employees, Retirees, and Business Leaders. New York, NY, Johnson & Higgins, 1979. 112 pp. A national cross-section of 1,699 current and retired employees and a crosssection of 212 companies are surveyed regarding attitudes toward inflation and the quality of retired life; mandatory retirement; private pensions; and social security. Results indicate that: (1) inflation has a negative impact on retirement income expectations; (2) respondents favored abolition of mandatory retirement; (3) 51 percent would prefer to work full or parttime as an alternative to retirement; (4) current employees consider a pension plan a top priority and express confidence in private pensions; and (5) 87 percent expect to receive some social security benefits during retirement. pro-gen. 0251 Mercer, William M., Inc. Employer Attitudes Toward Social Security. New York, NY, William M. Mercer, 1978. 20 pp. Results of a survey of the chief execu tive officers of 2,500 American corporations on attitudes toward social security and other pension and employee benefit issues are reported. Findings indicate overwhelming opposition to a social security tax increase and unwillingness to pay for social security at projected rates. Employers favored cutting back on nonretirement benefits and employing tax incentives to increase the number of workers covered by private pensions. aab-mod. 0251.1 Mitchell, William C. The Popularity of Social Security: A (AEI Studies in Social Security and Retirement Policy No. 179) Washington, DC, American Enterprise Institute, 1977. 21 pp. University of Oregon, It is contended that social security as 0252 Peterson, David A. The Crisis in Retirement Finance: The (Occasional Papers in Gerontology, No. Institute of Gerontology, University of Michigan, Wayne State University, Ann Arbor, MI. Attitudes of older persons toward retirement finances are examined, including views regarding social security, benefits, preferred amount and sources of income, and preferred Government policies. A large number of the 462 respondents viewed their retirement income as inadequate and expressed fear regarding their future financial condition. Overwhelming support was expressed for the social security program, but a large majority viewed benefits as too small. Results indicate that the elderly believe the social security program should provide an adequate income in itself, not an income floor. pro-gen. Political organization, activity, and influence of the Nation's senior citizens is surveyed from the enactment of the Social Security Act to the present. Topics include the early years of the old-age pension movement, the role of senior citizens in lobbying for the Social Security Act, the decline of the gray movement in the postwar years, the role of old-age groups in the 1971 White House Conference on Aging and in the passage of the 1972 Social Security Amendments, and political constraints on the elderly. pro-gen. (2) subsequent extension of old-age insurance; (3) unemployment insurance; (4) health insurance; and (5) social insurance and public welfare. pro-gen. 0256 Shore, Warren. Social Security: The Fraud in Your New York, NY, MacMillan, 1975. 238 Social security is criticized for its failure to provide adequate retirement benefits and to remain in sound economic condition. The reasons given for the present plight of social security include the lack of adequate funds and faulty measures taken to preserve them; inflation producing effects of the automatic escalator clause; taxes which reduce an individual's ability to save; and the growth of the social security bureaucracy. Problems likely to be faced by present and future generations of social security beneficiaries are described, and Individual Retirement Accounts are recommended as an alternative source of old-age income. pro-gen. 0257 Stokes, Dillard. Social Security-Fact and Fancy. Chicago, IL, Henry Regnery, 1956. 208 pp. The social security system is attacked for not living up to its promises, and vignettes of the system in operation are presented to show its effects on retirees and their beneficiaries. It is argued that social security has abandoned equity as a principle of action. The system is analyzed in terms of benefits, coverage, equity, and financing, and a plan to restore a sound system is introduced. pro-gen. 0258 Van Allen, Edward J. The Trouble With Social Security. Mineola, NY, Omnipress, 1969. 129 pp. The author uses his personal experience with social security and anecdotes of others' experiences to reveal alleged inequities and frauds in the present system. Social security is considered to be an intellectually fraudulent term. Other criticisms relate to the benefit formula, the payroll tax and individual social security taxes, the ratio of taxes to benefits, and the failure of the social security system to adhere to sound insurance principles. Reforms are suggested. pro-gen. Section 5-Related Issues This section covers a broad range of materials concerning social security and other income-maintenance programs and their relationship to the economic security of American workers and their families. Articles treating more than one issue or program covered in other sections of this volume are included here. Topics inclue Federal and State policy on aging, age discrimination in employment, the growing age population, and the effects of such demographic shifts. 0259 Aarnio, Margaretha; Sundberg, Heimer; Engzell, Goran. Mutual Adjustment of Voluntary Pension Schemes and Social Insurance. In: ISSA, Proceedings of the Vth Inter- Geneva, Switzerland, International The mutual adjustment of voluntary pen- 0260 Bassett, Preston C. Current Issues. In: McGill, D., ed., Social Security and Private Pension Plans: Competitive or Complementary?, pp. 110-122. (Ralph H. Blanchard Memorial Endowment Series, Vol. 1) Homewood, IL, Richard D. Irwin, 1977. 175 pp. Funded by Blanchard Memorial Endowment, Towers, Perrin, Forster and Crosby, Current issues in the old-age, survi- fits, and the form of benefits provided. pro-gen. 0261 Bell, Winifred; Lekachman, Robert; Schorr, Alvin L. Public Policy and Income Distribution. Funded by Milbank Memorial Fund, Center for Studies in Income Mainte- The relationships between public policy and income distribution in the United States are examined. The analysis focuses on the elements of income and the economic forces that determine them as viewed by legislators. A more egalitarian distribution of income is advocated, and the effect of inflation, unemployment, taxation, and public expenditure policies on income distribution are examined. jnl-mod. 0262 Binstock, Robert. Social Goals in Contemporary Society. In: Osterbind, C., ed., Social Goals, Social Programs and the Aging, pp. 32-41. (Center for Gerontological Studies and Programs Series, Vol. 24) Gainesville, FL, University Presses of Florida, 1975. 168 pp. • Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. In a paper presented at the 24th Annual Southern Conference on Gerontology, Gainesville, Florida, April 1975, the inadequacies of contemporary social goals for the aging are discussed. It is argued that these goals are focused too exclusively on the present, are frequently outdated by the time they are formulated, are not addressed to the specific needs of subcategories of elderly persons, and are distributive rather than redistributive. jnl-mod. 0263 Binstock, Robert H. Federal Policy Toward the Aging-Its In: National Journal, The Economics of (National Journal Issues Book) Washington, DC, Government Research Corporation, 1978. 70 pp. Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. The failure of American policies and programs for the aging is discussed and seen as an indictment of the politics of aging in America. It is argued that the growth of programs for the elderly has produced few positive results and led to a huge, unwieldly bureaucracy. Such programs are viewed as motivated primarily by political considerations and not as part of a concerted social intervention effort. Policymakers are urged to evaluate the political impact of the aged more closely and focus expenditures on solving the problems of the severely disadvantaged aged. pro-gen. 0264 Binstock, Robert H.; Shanas, Handbook of Aging and the Social (Handbooks of Aging) New York, NY, Program in the Economics and Politics Comprehensive information and reference sources are provided and research issues are suggested in a volume on aging and the social sciences. Papers by 32 contributors address developments in the study of the aging, including its relationship to the economy, work, and retirement; income distribution; health; social services, and social intervention. pro-gen. 0265 Boglietti, G. Discrimination against Older Workers and the Promotion of Equality of Opportunity. International Labour Review, International Labour Office, Reasons for discrimination against older in collective bargaining agreements, are outlined. pro-gen. 0266 Bok, Derek C. Emerging Issues in Social Legislation: Harvard Law Review, 80(4):717-764, 1967. Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA. Old-age pensions are examined in terms of their economic and social goals and effects, and legislative issues affecting pensions are scrutinized. The discussion centers on the benefit structure as it relates to the needs and desires of the aged, private pensions and other sources of income, and impact on other economic and social interests. Alternatives to the current benefit structure are suggested. pro-gen. 0267 Booth, Philip, ed. Social Security: Policy for the Seventies: Proceedings of the Seventh Social Security Conference. Ann Arbor, MI, Institute of Labor and Institute of Labor and Industrial In the proceedings of the Seventh Social Security Conference held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, April, 1972 and sponsored by Wayne State University's Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations and the University of Michigan's School of Social Work, 13 contributors discuss issues faced by the social security program in the 1970's and proposals for new and/or expanded programs. Topics addressed include policy issues in workmen's compensation, health insurance and welfare reform; the merits and possibilities of meeting needs through incremental improvement of existing institutions or new comprehensive approaches; and income guarantees. pro-gen. The Senior Friends Program, a demonstration project in which elderly persons seeking part-time work served as companions to less capable aged individuals, is described in terms of selection of participants, program goals, and evaluation. Findings were that the operational goals of providing meaningful employment and job satisfaction were achieved. For recipients in the community, most operational goals were successfully reached. For recipients in nursing homes, operational goals were not reached initially, but were replaced by other goals which were. aab-mod. 0271 Brinker, Paul A.; Klos, Joseph J. • University of Oklahoma, The effects of social security, other Government programs, and various private programs on poverty are examined in an economics textbook. Topics discussed include historical and ideological perspectives; aging and welfare; disability and health; unemployment and underemployment; low-income and special groups; and various solutions to poverty, including a minimum wage, the War on Poverty, and family allowances. pro-gen. |