December 06, 2010
That is what readers of his column today must conclude. He insists that the United States and European countries can no longer afford their current welfare states because of an aging population.
This might be true if there was no productivity growth. However, unless something incredibly bizarre happens, the economy will continue to see productivity growth in the neighborhood of 2.0 percent annually. This means that in 2045 output per worker would be almost twice as high for each hour of work as it is today. This rise in productivity would allow large increases in both the generosity of the benefits provided for retirees and also the living standard of the working population.
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