Singapore is not a country with a robust welfare state, having depended on the filial gift relationship to repay intergenerational debt, yet with a rapidly aging and ailing population, that may very well change, according to Reisman (economics, Nanyang Technological U., Singapore), who considers whether the demographic pressures on Singapore could lead to the nationalization and politicization of the gift relationship. He describes the current mechanisms available for meeting the older populations needs, including compulsory retirement savings, medical savings accounts, state medical insurance and charity, family support, monetizing personal assets, and laboring in old age. In the conclusion, he draws these threads together and suggests that they may not be enough to meet the health and welfare needs of the population and that state intervention may be needed. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)