Estelle James is principal author of Averting the Old Age Crisis: Policies to Protect the Old and Promote Growth (Washington, D.C.: World Bank and Oxford University Press, 1994) and is currently a consultant to the World Bank and other organizations. She was previously Lead Economist in the Research Department of the World Bank and Director of its Flagship Course on Social Security Reform. She also served as a member of the President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security in the United States.