How Does Use of ‘Special’ Equipment Affect the Black-White Gap in Active Life Expectancy • J. Scott Brown, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ; Scott M. Lynch, Princeton University

Trends in Disability in France over the Two Past Decades in the Light of the International Context and the Theoretical Explanations for the Disability Pattern • Emmanuelle Cambois, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED) ; Pierre Mormiche, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (INSEE)

Decomposing the Urban-Rural Gap in Life and Active Life Expectancies: Why Do Urban Elderly in Beijing Live Longer Healthier Lives than Their Rural Counterparts? • Toshiko Kaneda, Population Reference Bureau ; Zachary Zimmer, Population Council ; Zhe Tang, Beijing Municipal Network for Health & Care of the Elderly ; Xianghua Fang, Beijing Municipal Network for Health & Care of the Elderly

Active Life Expectancy of the Elderly Japanese: 1987, 1990 and 1999 • Yasuhiko Saito, Nihon University ; Eileen Crimmins, University of Southern California