Introduction
This essay compares the policies of the United Kingdom (UK) and Japan to determine which provides the more preferable environment for population growth. It begins with an overview of the various policies put in place, followed by an analysis of the resulting effects. This specific policies which will be examined here will be the health care and economic policies implemented by the government.
This essay compares the policies of the United Kingdom (UK) and Japan to determine which provides the more preferable environment for population growth. It begins with an overview of the various policies put in place, followed by an analysis of the resulting effects. This specific policies which will be examined here will be the health care and economic policies implemented by the government.
Background
After taking a closer look at age demographics and birth rates in the UK and Japan, it was observed that both countries are facing an aging population. In Japan, birth rates are at 1.41 children per woman, way below the replacement level of 2.1 children required to provide for a stable population growth. The outlook in the UK is slightly more positive - 1.9 children per woman now, which is also below the replacement rate of 2.075 in the UK, but at the highest since 1973. Life expectancy has increased to 86.2 years in Japan and 81 years in the UK. In fact, one-quarter of the population in Japan is above the age of 65. An imbalanced aged population does put a lot of strain on the economy, its growth, as well as the younger population, as they have to bare the burden of supporting this aged population. However, all is not lost either, if the aged are able to retain their health and can continue to function and contribute to the economic growth of the country.
After taking a closer look at age demographics and birth rates in the UK and Japan, it was observed that both countries are facing an aging population. In Japan, birth rates are at 1.41 children per woman, way below the replacement level of 2.1 children required to provide for a stable population growth. The outlook in the UK is slightly more positive - 1.9 children per woman now, which is also below the replacement rate of 2.075 in the UK, but at the highest since 1973. Life expectancy has increased to 86.2 years in Japan and 81 years in the UK. In fact, one-quarter of the population in Japan is above the age of 65. An imbalanced aged population does put a lot of strain on the economy, its growth, as well as the younger population, as they have to bare the burden of supporting this aged population. However, all is not lost either, if the aged are able to retain their health and can continue to function and contribute to the economic growth of the country.
Health Care
Health care expenditure per capita of Japan is US$3,213 (based on 2010 data), and that of the UK is US$3,405 (based on 2011 data). While the Japanese are proud of the fact that their health care expenditure is half that of the United States, the expenditures on healthcare for Japan may be under-allocated. This is primarily due to the fact that they have a higher proportion of population above 65 years old - Japan has a proportion of one-quarter of the population, while that of the UK is around 17 percent. A smaller healthcare expenditure per capita puts additional strain on the younger population to generate the growth required to sustain the economy. This results in a domino effect, one of which is lower birth rates.
In terms of healthcare programmes, the UK appears to have a comprehensive set of initiatives to aid young couples from conception to birth, to the growing up stage. However, Japan lacks such health care programs. Although Japan’s health care program is exceptional such that the life expectancy in Japan is much longer than that of many other countries of the world, the health care policies aiming to aid younger couples in having more children is severely lacking. Therefore, although in the future United Kingdom may have an increased birth rate, Japan is unlikely to see an increase in birth rate unless some other policies’ be it related to health care or not, are implemented.
Health care expenditure per capita of Japan is US$3,213 (based on 2010 data), and that of the UK is US$3,405 (based on 2011 data). While the Japanese are proud of the fact that their health care expenditure is half that of the United States, the expenditures on healthcare for Japan may be under-allocated. This is primarily due to the fact that they have a higher proportion of population above 65 years old - Japan has a proportion of one-quarter of the population, while that of the UK is around 17 percent. A smaller healthcare expenditure per capita puts additional strain on the younger population to generate the growth required to sustain the economy. This results in a domino effect, one of which is lower birth rates.
In terms of healthcare programmes, the UK appears to have a comprehensive set of initiatives to aid young couples from conception to birth, to the growing up stage. However, Japan lacks such health care programs. Although Japan’s health care program is exceptional such that the life expectancy in Japan is much longer than that of many other countries of the world, the health care policies aiming to aid younger couples in having more children is severely lacking. Therefore, although in the future United Kingdom may have an increased birth rate, Japan is unlikely to see an increase in birth rate unless some other policies’ be it related to health care or not, are implemented.
Economy
Population has a lot to do with migration, which in turn is affected by the economy, because many times, when the country’s is unable to have a higher birth rate than a death rate, it is the immigrants that make up the working population. Both Japan and the United Kingdom are known to have strict immigration laws, furthermore, they may lack some policies promoting their economy to have enough benefits for big companies from overseas to invest in them. The truth is people will go to countries that provide them the best chances to succeed, which is basically countries with good economies and policies benefiting private investors and allow them to earn profits from creating a company in the selected country.
Deflation and a declining economy are also aspects of UK and Japan. Both countries have experienced setbacks, an aging population and shrinking workforce being some of the culprits behind this. One of the similar policies or programmes that both countries have launched is Quantitative Easing (QE), which is often put in place to provide a boost to the economy. As of now, the UK and Japan are experiencing different economical ups and downs, which were direct results of these economical programmes. Both countries had similar policies, yet they posed different challenges to the two countries, which is the reason why this was also chosen for comparative analysis.
Population has a lot to do with migration, which in turn is affected by the economy, because many times, when the country’s is unable to have a higher birth rate than a death rate, it is the immigrants that make up the working population. Both Japan and the United Kingdom are known to have strict immigration laws, furthermore, they may lack some policies promoting their economy to have enough benefits for big companies from overseas to invest in them. The truth is people will go to countries that provide them the best chances to succeed, which is basically countries with good economies and policies benefiting private investors and allow them to earn profits from creating a company in the selected country.
Deflation and a declining economy are also aspects of UK and Japan. Both countries have experienced setbacks, an aging population and shrinking workforce being some of the culprits behind this. One of the similar policies or programmes that both countries have launched is Quantitative Easing (QE), which is often put in place to provide a boost to the economy. As of now, the UK and Japan are experiencing different economical ups and downs, which were direct results of these economical programmes. Both countries had similar policies, yet they posed different challenges to the two countries, which is the reason why this was also chosen for comparative analysis.