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How Long Do We Live?

Demographic Models and Reflections on Tempo Effects

  • Book
  • © 2008

Overview

Editors:
  1. Elisabetta Barbi

    1. Department of Economics, Statistics, Mathematics and Sociology “W. Pareto”, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

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  2. James W. Vaupel

    1. Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany

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  3. John Bongaarts

    1. Population Council, New York, USA

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  • New methods and adjustments of existing ones for the measurement of human longevity
  • First comprehensive book on this topic
  • Tables, illustrations, examples for an intuitive and visually oriented demonstration of methods
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Demographic Research Monographs (DEMOGRAPHIC)

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Table of contents (15 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XIII
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  2. How long do we live? Demographic models and reflections on tempo effects: An introduction

    1. How long do we live? Demographic models and reflections on tempo effects: An introduction

      • Elisabetta Barbi
      Pages 1-8

  3. Theoretical basis for the mortality tempo effect

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 9-9
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    2. Estimating mean lifetime

      • John Bongaarts, Griffith Feeney
      Pages 11-27

    3. The quantum and tempo of life-cycle events

      • John Bongaarts, Griffith Feeney
      Pages 29-65

  4. Critiques, extensions and applications of the mortality tempo effect

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 67-67
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    2. Demographic translation and tempo effects: An accelerated failure time perspective

      • Germán Rodríguez
      Pages 69-92

    3. Lifesaving, lifetimes and lifetables

      • James W. Vaupel
      Pages 93-107

    4. Tempo and its tribulations

      • Kenneth W. Wachter
      Pages 109-128

    5. Tempo effects in mortality: An appraisal

      • Michel Guillot
      Pages 129-152

    6. Increments to life and mortality tempo

      • Griffith Feeney
      Pages 153-165

    7. Mortality tempo versus removal of causes of mortality: Opposite views leading to different estimations of life expectancy

      • Hervé Le Bras
      Pages 167-189

    8. Tempo effect on age-specific death rates

      • Shiro Horiuchi
      Pages 191-201

    9. Mortality tempo-adjustment: Theoretical considerations and an empirical application

      • Marc Luy
      Pages 203-233

  5. Comparison of period and cohort measures of longevity

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 235-235
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    2. Five period measures of longevity

      • John Bongaarts
      Pages 237-245

    3. Found in translation? A cohort perspective on tempo-adjusted life expectancy

      • Joshua R. Goldstein
      Pages 247-259

  6. Conclusions

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 261-261
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    2. Afterthoughts on the mortality tempo effect

      • John Bongaarts, Griffith Feeney
      Pages 263-269

    3. Turbulence in lifetables: Demonstration by four simple examples

      • James W. Vaupel
      Pages 271-279
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Keywords

About this book

The most widely used measure of longevity is the period life expectancy at birth which is calculated from age specific death rates by life table methods. In 2002, John Bongaarts and Griffith Feeney introduced the revolutionary idea that this conventional estimate of period life expectancy is distorted by a tempo effect whenever longevity is changing. The tempo effect is defined as an inflation or deflation of the period incidence of a demographic event resulting from a rise or fall in the mean age at which the event occurs. Some demographers agree with this radical argument; others disagree. The book reviews the debate on how best to measure period longevity. In the various chapters, leading experts in demography critically examine the existence of the tempo effect in mortality, present extensions and applications, and compare period and cohort longevity measures. The book provides a deeper understanding of and new insights into the fundamental question "How long do we live"?

Editors and Affiliations

  • Department of Economics, Statistics, Mathematics and Sociology “W. Pareto”, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Elisabetta Barbi

  • Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany

    James W. Vaupel

  • Population Council, New York, USA

    John Bongaarts

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