An introduction to the macroeconomics of aging

This special issue contains six articles that develop macroeconomic models that analyze the impact of population aging—and the impact of government policies related to pensions and health care in response to aging—on aggregate employment, investment, wages, and interest rates. Increased spending on pensions and public health care programs is projected to impose a major fiscal burden not only on the developed world but also on much of the less developed world. The articles in this special issue point to the directions that economists need to take in analyzing the impact of aging on the macroeconomy.