"Since the collapse of the bipolar world order in the late 1980s, American social sciences have been slowly awakening to the reality that demography—if not necessarily destiny—is a powerful shaper of the future. This reality is reflected in America’s aging population, with its fewer workers, consumers, and taxpayers, and its ever-more retirees, a quadruple whammy on national economic and fiscal capacity. Mark Pisano now interprets American demography with a new framework bolstered by quantitative support to demonstrate just how powerfully our changing population has already reshaped America’s prospects in the world economy. He links this framework to a wide range of practices and perspectives that until recently have hovered in the shadows of mainstream social science and policy thinking, topics such as regional governance and economic development, the critical role of institutions, the inadequacy of contemporary civic expression, and the accumulating structural constraints on economic growth. Pisano uses the demographic platform to integrate these related forces and provide a fresh and sorely needed perspective on the puzzle that is the American economy."

"Mark Pisano focuses on an oft-overlooked connection between our low-growth economy and disturbing population trends in the United States. Unless we solve the 'worker's gap' he describes, we will encounter economic decline, more cultural strife, and rising political rancor. Solutions he sees, such as increasing fertility rates and embracing immigration, won't come easily. But his plea that we treat 'no one as disposable' has the ring of moral authority."

"A prescient, readable guide to the intensifying merger of economics and politics into the singular political and governance issue of our time. Pisano shows how American people, parties, and politicians must and can address it to preserve the national and fiscal coherence of our society."