Thailand has experienced extraordinary demographic change and record-breaking economic growth during the last few decades. This study uses a recently developed projection model - HOMES, Household Model for Economic and Social Studies - to examine the changes and their continuing implications for six demographically sensitive sectors of the economy: education, health, housing, consumer expenditure, household saving, as well as labor force, employment, and wages. The relationship between demographic change and each of these economic sectors is assessed through extensive analysis of census and survey data collected during the 1980s. The study is a joint effort of the East-West Center's Program on Population, the National Economic and Social Development Board of Thailand, and the Asian Development Bank.

There is long-standing debate on how population growth affects national economies. A new report from Population Matters examines the history of this debate and synthesizes current research on the topic. The authors, led by Harvard economist David Bloom, conclude that population age structure, more than size or growth per se, affects economic development, and that reducing high fertility can create opportunities for economic growth if the right kinds of educational, health, and labor-market policies are in place. The report also examines specific regions of the world and how their differing policy environments have affected the relationship between population change and economic development.

Recent studies show that almost all industrial countries have experienced dramatic decreases in both fertility and mortality rates. This situation has led to aging societies with economies that suffer from both a decline in the working population and a rise in fiscal deficits linked to increased government spending. East Asia exemplifies these trends, and this volume offers an in-depth look at how long-term demographic transitions have taken shape there and how they have affected the economy in the region. The Economic Consequences of Demographic Change in East Asia assembles a group of experts to explore such topics as comparative demographic change, population aging, the rising cost of health care, and specific policy concerns in individual countries. The volume provides an overview of economic growth in East Asia as well as more specific studies on Japan, Korea, China, and Hong Kong. Offering important insights into the causes and consequences of this transition, this book will benefit students, researchers, and policy makers focused on East Asia as well as anyone concerned with similar trends elsewhere in the world.