The main goal of this book is to create a general theory of approaches in various countries how to cope with demographic change. It focuses on the search for innovative responses to population "shrinkage" and the consequences of population ageing in two neighbouring countries: Germany and Poland. The comparison of Germany and Poland aims at showing in detail the distinctive ways in which both countries have tried to resolve problems posed by demographic change, such as fiscal capacity and unemployment rates, in particular in education and local government. While Germany is usually seen as a corporatist welfare state (characterized by, for example, social insurance based on contributions paid over the years and adjusted to individual income), Poland is regarded as a welfare state "in transition" (which is still developing a unique model of social policy as initiated after 1989)