1997 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
PROVISION OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN AN AGING SOCIETY
| Project/Area Number |
07803007
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
経済政策(含経済事情)
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| Research Institution | MEIKAI UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
ASAHI Joji MEIKAI UNIVERSITY,FACULTY OF ECONOMICS,PROFESSOR, 経済学部, 教授 (60158730)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1995 – 1997
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| Keywords | AGING SOCIETY / INFRASTRUCTURE / SOCIAL SECURITY / NATIONAL PARK / FISCAL INVESTMENT AND LOAN PROGRAM |
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| Research Abstract |
Japan is aging at much faster speed than any other developed country. This unprecedented society is giving rise to many difficult social problems including increasing medical coats, a fear of bankruptcy of social security system, decreasing labor participation, and an increasingly chronic- government budget deficit. This research project first defines the social coats of aging. Then we have designed types and amount of infrastructure so that they reduce these social coats as far as possible. We turn next to comparing the financing the coats of infrastructure through government funding or by private funding, and emphasize the importance of efforts by the private sector. We also critically evaluate the implications of the Fiscal Investment and Loan Program which has been criticized, and point out several serious problems. The infrastructure in our study includes not just standard public goods such as roads, airports and libraries, but also the social arrangement of social security and health care programs. Cases from both the United States and United Kingdom are studied for possible applications to Japanese case.
Traditionally the analyses of aging society have focused on the aged, who are characterized by their age only. That is, the aged has been regarded as a group consisting of homogeneous members. However, as the aged are various people, each with his or her individual factors, more detailed analysis is necessary. Our scope include not only the aged, but young people with handicaps.
An aging society means that many people are still looking for an active social life. Therefore, taking national parks and museums as typical infrastructure, we elaborate on the nature of such facilities and show a desirable way of their provision and maintenance. We have found the National Park System in the United States is very instructive in our research.
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