Social security schemes need to be streamlined and the underlying policies made more coherent to obtain the fullest possible return on expenditure. Third World countries need to reflect very seriously on the role of social security in the development process and on the management problems involved. (CT)

This issue deals with the future of an age-based public policy. Articles discuss the history of age-based public policy; the competing bases for benefits; population dynamics; Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare; employer policies; and local and state policies. Describes California's Linkages Program. (JOW)

Fefferman argues that mandatory Social Security coverage for teachers and other government employees assures their own pension protection and equalizes their contributions with their potential Social Security benefits. Brundige feels that teachers already have superior retirement plans and should not be forced to bail out the ailing Social…

The author argues that, although 1985 statistics suggest that the elderly are better off financially than at any time in recent history, these statistics do not show the whole picture. She states that there must be a change in public policy to prevent future intergenerational conflict. (CH)

Attempts to cut government costs have unfairly focused on social security, disregarding its importance to older Americans. The program also has been perceived erroneously as being on the verge of bankruptcy. Both Congress and the nation, however, must seek solutions to the cash-flow difficulties of the system. (Author/AOS)

Changes in the Australian taxation system are discussed in reference to two central issues: (1) achieving horizontal and vertical equity within the tax-transfer system; and (2) interrelating taxation and social security systems. Horizontal equity embodies the principle that those in similar economic circumstances should pay the same levels of…

The social security system in the United States is becoming increasingly unstable, as the amount of benefits paid to an ever larger number of retirees grows and the number of younger workers paying taxes to the system decreases. The problem will become especially acute in the years 2011 and after, as the members of the "baby boom"…

Social workers understand that assessing the implications of a policy for individual citizens like Veronica, a 51 year-old African American woman whose retirement will be jeopardized by President Bush's plan for social security, is often a good yardstick by which to measure the impact of a change. Moreover, social workers understand that policy…

A proposal written by a group of economists suggests investing a portion of the Social Security surplus in a revolving loan fund designed to enable American students and workers to finance their own post-secondary education, vocational training, or re-training. The plan would make available to every American a line of credit to finance the costs…

This document reports the oral and written testimony of witnesses at a Congressional hearing held to examine ways to use the abilities of the rapidly growing older population, particularly in professions such as child care where they have the potential of making an important contribution to the education and care of the children of the United…

Discussing major policy, management, and program issues facing Congress and the Clinton administration in the area of health and human services, this pamphlet provides recommendations for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the social security system, the welfare system, preventing child abuse, and safeguarding the nation's…

A study analyzed the changing nature of older persons in the labor force, factors that may affect their work decisions, and policy changes that could facilitate their continuation or reentry into the work force beyond the normal retirement age. Data examined during the survey indicate that while the number of people aged 65 and older is continuing…

Many companies recognize the importance of including older persons in the labor force, but barriers still exist that limit their productive employment. Negative stereotypes may influence hiring and promotion decisions, and training opportunities may be closed. A study was conducted of private sector employment programs/practices that are intended…

Before social welfare programs can be successfully designed and administered, the problems of the needy must be known. Research literature appearing from 1969 through mid-1977 reveals that: most welfare recipients are dramatically inferior in their ability to compete in the labor market; poverty is a multiproblematic chain which has not been…