Focusing his attention on how demographic and social change interact and affect government finance, the environment, foreign policy, and the development of society generally, Longman published his first book, "Born to Pay: The New Politics of Aging in America" in 1987. In the following decade wrote many articles about the impact of aging populations on society in the future. During this period, his name became much more widely known in the academic community: his articles became published by such journals as "The Atlantic Monthly", "Financial Times", "Harvard Business Review", "Foreign Affairs" and "The New Republic".