The essays in this book describe the situation of the elderly today, taking into account the major political, economic, and social variations of service provided in a variety of countries. Although the welfare state exists in all developed and developing countries, its content and administration varies substantially.

The editors first develop a framework of concepts and perspectives that establish links between eldercare, distributive justice, and the welfare state. This is followed by analyses of the services provided to the elderly in selected countries. Finally, the editors show how and in what ways the concepts developed earlier in the introduction—equity, uniformity, public accountability, individualism, collectivism, institutional or residual welfare state orientation, "high" or "low" wage economy—apply to and explain the differences in care of the elderly.