Publication: Japan at the forefront of the economics of aging? A bibliometric analysis
This article published in The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, written by Sébastien Lechevalier (EHESS, DIJ, CIGS) and Brieuc Monfort (Sophia University, EHESS) takes a fresh look at how economists have approached aging over the past fifty years. Its key contribution is a comprehensive bibliometric deep-dive into the economics-of-aging literature—built on three complementary text-based corpora—going well beyond the narrow subfield focus of previous studies. The analysis reveals that defining what counts as “the economics of aging” is far less obvious than it appears. A set of identification criteria is proposed to map the field’s expansion, global footprint, and shifting research priorities.
The findings show that aging has emerged as a cross-cutting theme linking population and labor economics with health, macro, and public economics. Research topics have evolved markedly: health-related issues have surged, while pensions have dominated inquiry for decades. Notably, the global geography of research does not mirror the geography of aging itself—Japan remains underrepresented despite being one of the world’s fastest-aging societies. The paper concludes by reflecting on how this mismatch has shaped the dominant research agenda and by outlining promising avenues for future work, particularly those that integrate Japan more fully into comparative analysis.
You can find the article here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeoa.2025.100601
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OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Sébastien Lechevalier (November 25, 2025). Publication: Japan at the forefront of the economics of aging? A bibliometric analysis. INNOVCARE. Retrieved February 14, 2026 from https://doi.org/10.58079/157fd










