The new politics of old age policy

"As the average age of the U.S. population continues to increase, age-related policies have come under intense scrutiny, sparking heated debates. In the past, older people were seen as a frail, dependent population, but major policies enacted or expanded on their behalf have made them major players in electoral and interest-group politics. This thoroughly revised an updated edition of Robert B. Hudson's The New Politics of Old Age Policy not only explains the politics behind the country's age-based programs and describes how those programs work but also assesses how well--or poorly--they meet the growing and changing needs of older Americans."--Page 4 of cover.