Recent mass media has given extensive coverage on the demographic future of Asian countries. South Korea will reportedly halve its population size in the future; Japan will be a population of the ‘Old Old’; and China will seemingly face tremendous problems as its population ages. Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are also regularly in the news on the impending population crisis. Is Asia indeed facing a demographic crisis of doomsday proportion? What are the demographic scenarios for the future in Asia? Do the demographic changes severely erode Asia’s competitiveness?
Paul Cheung of Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy will address the causes of demographic changes, which are embedded in the rapid transformation of Asia in this upcoming seminar. He will discuss proposed adaptive strategies, from a redefinition of ‘old’ to replacement migrations, from examining societal arrangements of work and retirement to maximizing the value of life, and share examples of innovative policies implemented by Asian countries.