A new book examined key social and ethical dilemmas facing ageing societies (such as autonomy, agency, frailty, social isolation, and dementia), bringing together two streams of thought within critical gerontology: analyses of structural issues in the context of political economy; and humanistic perspectives on issues of existential meaning.
Source: Jan Baars, Joseph Dohmen, Amanda Grenier, and Chris Phillipson, Ageing, Meaning and Social Structure: Connecting critical and humanistic gerontology, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Aug
An article examined how life expectancy had changed in Europe between 1991 and 2008, looking at geographical inequalities (between regions) and socio-spatial inequalities (between regions grouped by an area-level measure of average household income). It was found that regional life expectancy inequalities had not narrowed, despite efforts to reduce them. It said that household income differences across European regions might partly explain these inequalities but, because inequalities transcended national borders, reduction efforts might require European Union-wide co-ordination in addition to national efforts.
Source: Elizabeth Richardson, Jamie Pearce, Richard Mitchell, Niamh Shortt, and Helena Tunstall, 'Have regional inequalities in life expectancy widened within the European Union between 1991 and 2008?', European Journal of Public Health, Volume 24 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-May