Sarah Harper

Critical Readings on Ageing in Southeast Asia (2 vols) Sarah Harper

The 21st Century will be both the century of Asia and of ageing. And the two trends will coalesce in Southeast Asia over the coming decades. Old age in most parts of Southeast Asia is still predominantly defined by frailty and dependency, and less by structured retirement, though this is changing. As a result the two main concerns are health and care, still predominantly carried out by families, and economic support, only a small proportion of which is in the form of a pension. The region will need to ensure new policies, institutions, governance and economic structures to enable the transition of the region to maturity. However, as the papers in this collection reveal, there is a growing research base already, which will be essential to the process of adapting to the ageing of Southeast Asia.