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Inheritance in Contemporary America

The Social Dimensions of Giving across Generations

Jacqueline L Angel author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Johns Hopkins University Press

Published:22nd Feb '08

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Inheritance in Contemporary America cover

Inheritance in Contemporary America is socially relevant, the writing is clear, and to my knowledge there is no other book like it. -- Vern L. Bengtson, Ph.D., AARP/University Professor of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles

This book will be a vital tool for scholars and practitioners in gerontology, sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, political science, and public policy.With the baby boom generation on the cusp of retirement, life expectancies on the rise, and the nation's cultural makeup in flux, the United States is faced with social and policy quandaries that demand attention. How are elders to balance the competing claims of helping family members during their lifetime, saving for old age, and planning estates? What roles should the state, family, and individuals play in supporting people during later life? Are new familial gift-giving trends sustainable, and, if so, what effects might they have on future generations? Inheritance in Contemporary America tackles the complex legal, policy, and emotional issues that surround bequests and inheritances in an era of increasing longevity, broadening ethnicity, and unraveling social safety nets. Through empirical analyses, case studies, interviews, and anecdotes, Jacqueline L. Angel explains the historical nature of familial giving and how it is changing as the nation's demographics shift. She explores the legal, personal, and policy complexities involved in passing wealth down through generations and provides a cross-disciplinary context for exploring the indelible effects that newly unfolding inheritance practices will have on various societal cohorts and the nation in general. From nuclear and extended families to the state and nongovernmental bodies, Angel's engaging study explores how attitudes toward giving are evolving and confronts in stark terms the legacy that these shifts in attitude will leave. This book will be a vital tool for scholars and practitioners in gerontology, sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, political science, and public policy.

This timely and important book breaks new ground. Given the complex factors that influence inheritance decisions and behavior, it is not surprising that few books have been published on this topic. Comprehensive and thorough, Jacqueline L. Angel helps open new windows to understanding the ways we think about our gift-giving behaviors in late life and their effect on personal legacy. The Gerontologist 2009 Provides a good overview of some central questions regarding the role of gifts and bequests in the social fabric. -- Jens Beskert American Journal of Sociology 2009

ISBN: 9780801887635

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 19mm

Weight: 522g

200 pages