Countdown to Reform: The Great Social Security Debate [Paperback]

Henry J. Aaron (Author), Robert D. Reischauer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1998 | ISBN-10: 0870784307 | ISBN-13: 978-0870784309

With baby-boomer retirement drawing nearer, Social Security, long a "third rail" in American politics, has become fair game. When President Clinton launched national discussion in April on the future of the programme, the loudest voices seemed to belong to those who claimed the system would go "bankrupt" and argued for scrapping it in favour of a privatized plan. Is the nation's premier social insurance programme on the brink of collapse? In this book, two of the nation's most widely respected economists argue that the "Chicken Little" view of Social Security - that future costs doom the current system - is so exaggerated that it is just plain wrong. Certainly, the retirement of the baby boom generation will require some adjustments, but they need be no greater in type or size than adjustments the government has adopted to deal with the overall budget deficit. The book provides the historical background of the economic circumstances that different generations have faced in this century and shows how changes in Social Security has affected life in America. The authors also analyze the economic assumptions underlying current reform efforts, closely scrutinizing the increasingly popular proposals to privatize Social Security by transforming it from an insurance programme to a system of individual retirement accounts. Henry J. Aaron and Robert D. Reischauer are senior fellows at the Brookings Institution. Aaron is also vice president of the National Academy of Social Insurance. Reischauer was director of the Congressional Budget Office from 1989 to 1995. They are coeditors of "Setting National Priorities: 1999", (Brookings, forthcoming).

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Henry J. Aaron is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and chair of the National Academy of Social Insurance. Robert D. Reischauer is president of the Urban Institute and was director of the Congressional Budget Office from 1989 to 1995. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 195 pages
• Publisher: Twentieth Century Fund (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870784307
• ISBN-13: 978-0870784309
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,452,508 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book that informs the reader about the SS debate, April 2, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Omaha, NE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Countdown to Reform: The Great Social Security Debate (Paperback)

The authors provided an easy to read text that gives the reader a basic understanding of Social Security - Old Age Insurance. They provided information of all the current initiatives as well as devoting an entire chapter to a critical review of the privatization plan. Excellent suggestions for reforming the current plan are given that make good sense to the reader. A must read for anyone who wants to be informed for the ongoing debate on Social Security.