China’s Demographic Transition in Comparative Perspective
Most demographers agree that the question of demographic transition for an economy is
no longer “whether,” but “how fast” (Lee 2003). One of the most important regularities
of human history, the demographic transition in the long run is inter-linked with many of
the social transformations associated with modern economies. Lee and Reher (2011)
argue that the demographic transition “made possible the radical change in women’s
economic and social roles; the invention of retirement as the third stage of life; and a
demographic efficiency that fostered heavy investment in the human capital of fewer but