Reply #11: We've only had a social contract for a few decades

[The2ndWheel]

We've only had family planning, in a large scale, organized fashion, for a few decades.

We've only had a middle class, and couples having fewer children later in life for a few decades.

I don't think there can be much of a study done yet. It never had to be worried about. The only thing we had to worry about was how to grow economically so that everyone could have a job. Cheap energy plays a big part in that as well, since we had slaves before that discovery.

If populations age, and we still want to be able to retire, who is going to keep the system going? If there are fewer people working, where is the tax base going to come from?

"seeking to maintain positive economic growth rates as long as possible."

Why?