摘要：Demography and policy issues have been traditionally linked to the Malthusian dilemma of increasing population versus decreasing availability of renewable resources. This concern had become so focused on the Third World that it had overshadowed the emerging need for demographic considerations in urban, regional and national policy-making in the western world. Beaujot's monograph cornes as a refreshing and timely testament affirming the universal significance of demography in policy-making. An engaging feature of the work is its historical discourse on all of the substantive issues raised. This allows for a comprehensive evaluation of the relationship between demographic change and aspects of national policy in Canada. The relationship between observation and explanation of demographic phenomena, and policy issues, receives well-deserved attention. Thus, for example, a discussion on past and present aging trends leads to an examination of the demographic interdependencies of aging, and to such important borderline issues as the economic and social impact of aging. The review of policy issues that follows provides a spectre of alternatives and implications in health, social services and pension programs. The review of policy concerns with aging thus introduces the reader into the domain of processes in federal policies and plans, as weil as policy determinants, associated with aging.
