PROCES STARZENIA SIĘ SPOŁECZEŃSTW O POTRZEBIE BADAŃ W ZAKRESIE (NIE)UCHRONNOŚCI ZMIAN DEMOGRAFICZNYCH A (NIE)TRAFNOŚCI POLITYKI SPOŁECZNEJ PAŃSTWA W ŚWIETLE DOŚWIADCZEŃ JAPONII, KOREI POŁUDNIOWEJ, NIEMIEC I POLSKI

The existence of a low birth rate has so far frequently been associated with the repercussions of either armed conflicts or epidemics. Economic crises, religious upheavals, cultural changes or industrial revolutions have also been cited as causes, albeit less frequently. The phenomenon of the ageing of societies which we are currently observing, however, has - by all indications - other and not yet fully defined causes. It is therefore worth considering not only why this is happening, but also if the phenomenon stems from the same causes everywhere. It may well be that the phenomenon of ageing societies occurs in various parts of the globe, but this does not prove that it is an automatism, caused by the same combination of factors. Therefore, it is crucial to clarify which of the defined factors play a catalytic role in the process under consideration, and which factors are indifferent or of marginal significance in relation to it, as well as whether it is possible, on the basis of comparative analysis of the cases of the proposed countries, to ascribe universal importance to all of them?