Children and the elderly: Divergent paths for America’s dependents
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Level 5 by design analogy: narrative policy essay and theoretical commentary without new empirical human data.
OpenAlex W1967995457 · doi:10.2307/2060909
What was done
The author presents a conceptual argument and narrative demographic analysis examining how private family structure shifts and public policy decisions in the United States altered the relative well-being of children and the elderly over the preceding two decades.
What was found
The author notes a leveling off in age-related psychological distress, suicide, and income curves for the elderly over the prior two decades. In terms of specific figures, the abstract notes that the increase in federal expenditures on the elderly between 1977 and 1983 alone would equal well over $2,000 per child if distributed among the population under age 15.
Why it matters
This presidential address conceptualized intergenerational equity in public policy, arguing that public transfers to the elderly create trade-offs that indirectly disadvantage children.
Limits
This is a narrative essay and policy commentary rather than a primary empirical investigation. The abstract does not report formal statistical models, sample sizes, or causal controls.
Cited by
- context US government spending on programs for people over the age of 65 accounts for 40% of total federal spending.