A paper examined the housing tenure decisions taken by older people in Europe. In nearly all countries the home-ownership rate among older people did not decline with age, contrary to the 'life cycle hypothesis'.
Source: Joaquin Alegre and Llorenc Pou, The Homeownership Rate among the Elderly and the Life Cycle Hypothesis: European evidence using individual and household data, Working Paper 49, Departament d'Economia Aplicada, La Universitat de les Illes Balears
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Dec
An article examined conceptual and empirical aspects of the social exclusion/inclusion debate in later life, with a particular focus on issues of place and space in urban settings. Exploratory findings were reported from two empirical studies in Belgium and England, which sought to examine experiences of social exclusion and inclusion among people aged 60 and over living in deprived inner-city neighbourhoods.
Source: Tine Buffel , Chris Phillipson, and Thomas Scharf, 'Experiences of neighbourhood exclusion and inclusion among older people living in deprived inner-city areas in Belgium and England', Ageing and Society, Volume 33 Special issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
An article examined the implications of the global economic crisis for pensions and pension policy in Europe. The crisis had affected pensions in both the short and longer term. It had forced politicians to address the consequences of societal ageing, while exposing the fallibility of funded schemes as a source of pension security. Fundamental questions about the prolongation of working lives remained to be resolved.
Source: Bernard Casey, 'The implications of the economic crisis for pensions and pension policy in Europe', Global Social Policy, Volume 12 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
An article said that changes in European pensions policy were creating opportunities for cost savings, simplification of cross-border arrangements, and commercial joint ventures.
Source: Robin Ellison, 'European pensions policy and the impact of the EU pensions directive for employers worldwide', Pensions: An International Journal, Volume 17 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
A new book examined ageing in European societies, illustrating innovative methodological approaches to working with diverse elderly populations.
Source: Constantinos Phellas (ed.), Aging in European Societies, Springer
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Dec
An article examined how west European states used a range of regulation to control the operations of funded pensions, as they sought to convert market-related practices to social policy purposes. The financial crisis and its aftermath had undermined easy distinctions between public and private schemes, and was generating increasingly technocratic and oligarchic forms of pension governance, to the detriment of democratic debate on pensions.
Source: Bernhard Ebbinghaus and Noel Whiteside, 'Shifting responsibilities in western European pension systems: what future for social models?', Global Social Policy, Volume 12 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
An article said that there was no evidence that social expenditure had been shifting in favour of retired people at the expense of children in developed (OECD) countries, except perhaps recently in some Nordic countries. In the United Kingdom, support for retired people had shifted slightly in their favour as compared with children: but it was the result of a change in the original income distribution, not changes in taxes, benefits, or services in kind.
Source: Jonathan Bradshaw and John Holmes, 'An analysis of equity in redistribution to the retired and children over recent decades in the OECD and UK', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 42 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
A paper examined minimum income policies for elderly people in Europe, and developed a typology based on entitlement and eligibility criteria. In the 2000s welfare erosion of elderly persons' non-contributory minimum income guarantees had been limited. Moreover, a substantial number of countries had pursued a deliberate policy of increases in minimum income benefits for elderly people. Nonetheless, only in a few countries were benefits were adequate to lift elderly people above the poverty line. At the same time, differences between European Union member states in terms of mode of access and benefit levels remained large.
Source: Tim Goedeme, Recent Trends in Minimum Income Protection for Europe's Elderly, Discussion Paper 27, GINI Project (European Commission)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Dec
A report said that European governments needed to do more to reduce the long-term cost of ageing to the public purse. They should: consider linking eligibility ages of state pensions to life expectancy; do more to ensure that the labour market was accessible to older people; ensure that pension systems were sustainable, allowed for greater risk-sharing, and were less vulnerable to longevity risk; and create better conditions for healthcare innovation and development.
Source: Daniela Silcock and David Sinclair, The Cost of Our Ageing Society, International Longevity Centre – UK
Links: Report | ILC press release
Date: 2012-Dec
A paper examined the provision of grandparental childcare as a way to remain active in later life, using European data. Providing childcare had a substantial and positive effect on one of the four cognitive tests (verbal fluency) but no statistically significant effect on the others.
Source: Bruno Arpino and Valeria Bordone, Does Grandparenting Pay Off? The effect of childcare on grandparents cognitive functioning, European Demographic Research Papers 4, Vienna Institute of Demography
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Nov
A report examined retirees' motivations for seeking paid work, and their opportunities for gaining employment, in European Union countries. It considered the extent to which work after retirement was related to income adequacy among the retired population. It also explored the types of paid employment that retirees took up, and identified ways in which companies sought to recruit and retain retirees.
Source: Robert Anderson and Hans Dubois, Income from Work after Retirement in the EU, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Date: 2012-Nov
An article examined the process of conducting cross-national qualitative research into the long-term care of older people in Europe.
Source: Henglien Lisa Chen, 'Cross-national qualitative research into the long-term care of older people: some reflections on method and methodology', European Journal of Social Work, Volume 15 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Nov
A paper made a series of recommendations designed to tackle the multiple discrimination suffered by older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, and intersexual people in Europe.
Source: Equality for Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex People in Europe, AGE Platform Europe/European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Nov
A report set out what the European Union was doing to encourage active ageing.
Source: The EU Contribution to Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, European Commission
Links: Report | European Commission press release
Date: 2012-Nov
An article examined the extent to which rural studies conducted in Europe (compared with other countries in the 'global north') had addressed the phenomenon of rural ageing.
Source: Vanessa Burholt and Christine Dobbs, 'Research on rural ageing: where have we got to and where are we going in Europe?', Journal of Rural Studies, Volume 28 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Nov
An article examined 'active ageing', the strategic policy response to demographic ageing in Europe. Despite a great deal of positive political rhetoric, the response at all levels of policy-making had been 'rather limited'. An active social and public policy was required to mainstream active ageing as the leading paradigm for ageing policy across the European Union.
Source: Alan Walker and Tony Maltby, 'Active ageing: a strategic policy solution to demographic ageing in the European Union', International Journal of Social Welfare, Volume 21 Issue Supplement s1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined factors that might predict a decline or an improvement in the self-rated health older adults (aged 50 or higher) in Europe. Female sex and higher educational attainment had a strong protective effect against decline in health. Worse health at baseline was an important predictor of subsequent decline, but later changes were even more important.
Source: Georgia Verropoulou, 'Determinants of change in self-rated health among older adults in Europe: a longitudinal perspective based on SHARE data', European Journal of Ageing, Volume 9 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
A paper examined the health effects of retirement in Europe – both the impact of being retired and the effect of spending longer time in retirement. There was a robust, negative impact of being retired and spending longer time in retirement on self-assessed, general, mental, and physical health. Although the short-term health impact of retirement remained uncertain, the medium- to long-term effects appeared to be negative and economically large.
Source: Gabriel Sahlgren, Work til You Drop: Short- and longer-term health effects of retirement in Europe, Working Paper 928/2012, Research Institute of Industrial Economics (Stockholm)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined the 'internalization' of age-related norms in western European countries, focusing on individual differences in terms of social class and gender. Social class had a strong impact on retirement age norms, and there was a complex pattern of gendered norms concerning the timing of retirement.
Source: Jonas Radl, 'Too old to work, or too young to retire? The pervasiveness of age norms in western Europe', Work, Employment and Society, Volume 26 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
A report examined how to reconcile and optimize sustainability and adequacy concerns in relation to pension schemes in European Union member states. Achieving the goal of a cost-effective and safe delivery of adequate benefits that were also sustainable was 'quite challenging', as the time people spend in retirement and out of the labour market increased. Moreover, challenges had increased significantly as an effect of the economic crisis.
Source: Pension Adequacy in the European Union 2010–2050, European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined the distributional effects of shifts from public to private pension provision in 15 European countries for the period 1995 2007. No evidence was found that shifts from public to private pension provision had led to higher levels of income inequality or poverty among older people.
Source: Olaf van Vliet, Jim Been, Koen Caminada, and Kees Goudswaard, 'Pension reform and income inequality among older people in 15 European countries', International Journal of Social Welfare, Volume 21 Issue Supplement s1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
A briefing paper examined steps to increase saving for retirement in European countries.
Source: Boosting Retirement Saving Across Europe, International Longevity Centre – UK
Links: Briefing
Date: 2012-Oct
A paper said that older workers in Europe who were employed in unskilled and manual occupations, and those working in certain service sectors, risked suffering more from poor working conditions than other employees.
Source: Patricia Vendramin and Gerard Valenduc, Occupations and Ageing at Work: An analysis of the findings of the fifth European Working Conditions Survey, Working Paper 2012.09, European Trade Union Institute
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined levels of depression among older people (aged 50 or older) with and without disabilities in west European countries. Older people with disabilities suffered higher levels of depression as compared with their non-disabled counterparts, especially among women. There were significant regional differences in the levels of depression found. Depression had important effects on the levels of well-being, employment, and income reported by older people, and disabled older people in particular.
Source: Ricardo Pagan-Rodriguez and Salvador Perez, 'Depression and self-reported disability among older people in western Europe', Journal of Aging and Health, Volume 24 Number 7
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
A paper examined paid work beyond retirement age in Germany and the United Kingdom. Particular attention was paid to the socio-economic status of people working past retirement, compared with those who did not work. In terms of institutional settings, the countries represented opposing cases.
Source: Simone Scherger, Steffen Hagemann, Anna Hokema, and Thomas Lux, Between Privilege and Burden: Work past retirement age in Germany and the UK, Working Paper 04/2012, Centre for Social Policy (University of Bremen)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Sep
An article examined how the employment of migrant care workers in both the familial provision of care and the formal provision of care services for older people was shaped, first, by the marketization of care and, second, by immigration controls. The analysis drew on data on the employment of migrant care workers by families in Italy and by providers of residential and home care services in the United Kingdom. Marketization processes and immigration controls had contributed to the employment of migrant workers across so-called informal/formal types of care provision, and irregular/regular types of care work and migration. Although the institutional contexts in which migrant care labour was located might differ, converging outcomes were evident regarding the structural positioning of migrant workers within the provision of care for older people.
Source: Isabel Shutes and Carlos Chiatti, 'Migrant labour and the marketisation of care for older people: the employment of migrant care workers by families and service providers', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 22 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Sep
A study examined the dynamics of change experienced by Belgium, England, Germany, and Italy in their home care sectors, focusing on the process of 'marketization'.
Source: Florence Degavre and Marthe Nyssens (eds), Care Regimes on the Move: Comparing home care for dependent older people in Belgium, England, Germany and Italy, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche Travail, Etat et Societe, (Universite Catholique de Louvain, Charleroi, Belgium)
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Sep
An article examined key trends over the previous 20 years in residential and community care for older people in England, Finland, and Australia. It investigated the extent of 'de-institutionalization', 'privatization', and 'individualization'. The concepts of collective and individual 'voice' and 'choice' were used to interrogate the roles of collective and individual actors, older people, and carers, in influencing policy formulation. It identified the greater influence of claims-making by family carers, who provided the informal bastion of formal care services in the push to de-institutionalization, in comparison with the collective and individual voices of older people as 'service users'.
Source: Sue Yeandle, Teppo Kroger, and Bettina Cass, 'Voice and choice for users and carers? Developments in patterns of care for older people in Australia, England and Finland', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 22 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Sep
A report examined how national social security/welfare institutions participated in the definition/implementation of policies promoting longer working lives in Europe. Social protection policies in Europe contributed significantly to active ageing policies related to the promotion of longer working lives – for example, by setting a higher statutory pension age or making access to a decent pension more difficult.
Source: Jean-Philippe Lhernould, Social Protection/Social Security Aspects of Active Ageing, MISSOC Analysis 2012/1, Mutual Information System on Social Protection/Social Security
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Sep
A paper examined how non-contributory minimum income schemes for elderly people had evolved between 1990 and 2009 in 13 'old' European Union member states. The erosion of the principal safety net of last resort for elderly persons had been limited. Moreover, in a substantial number of countries a deliberate policy of large increases in minimum income benefits had been pursued, leading to a remarkable convergence of relative benefit levels.
Source: Tim Goedeme, Less Is More? 20 years of changing minimum income protection for old Europe s elderly, Working Paper 12/07, Centre for Social Policy (Antwerp University)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined whether improvements in the health of elderly people in European countries could compensate for population ageing on the supply side of the labour market. In the scenarios considered, improvements in health and progress in preventing disability would not, by themselves, compensate for the ageing of the workforce. However, coupled with a positive migration balance, at the level and with the age structure assumed in official population projections, these developments could ease the effect of population ageing on labour supply.
Source: Magdalena Muszynska and Roland Rau, 'The old-age healthy dependency ratio in Europe', Journal of Population Ageing, Volume 5 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined the residential mobility decisions of elderly people in 11 European countries. Residential mobility was low: but there was some evidence that those who moved in old age tend to reduce housing consumption and investment by going from owning to renting. This 'downsizing' was positively linked to housing capital gains, while the existence of reverse mortgages in a country reduced it. Mobility to nursing homes and mobility between private homes responded to different incentives and motivations.
Source: Viola Angelini and Anne Laferrere, 'Residential mobility of the European elderly', CESifo Economic Studies, Volume 58 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined how the social objective of protecting lower earners from old-age poverty was supported at the European Union level, based on the situation in Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Although member states were responsible for pension policy, the EU framework could empower domestic social policy actors by providing them with cognitive and normative resources. But there was a lack of common policy solutions due to two diverging pension reform paradigms: the 'adequacy' paradigm and the 'sustainability' paradigm. The Europe 2020 strategy limited the scope for positive social policy measures linked to the adequacy approach because it prioritized a low tax 'wedge' and growth-enhancing initiatives.
Source: Michaela Willert, 'The European social dimension in pension policy', Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, Volume 18 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jul
An article examined the causal relationship between health and social capital for older people in Europe. The effect of health on social capital appeared to be significantly higher than the social capital effect on health. The sub-population reaching the age of 50 in good health had a higher propensity to take part in social activities and to benefit from it. Conversely, the other part of the population, in poor health at 50, might see their health worsening faster because of the missing beneficial effect of social capital. Social capital might therefore be a potential vector of health inequalities for the older population.
Source: Nicolas Sirven and Thierry Debrand, 'Social capital and health of older Europeans: causal pathways and health inequalities', Social Science & Medicine, Volume 75 Issue 7
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jul
A report said that governments in developed countries would need to raise retirement ages gradually to address increasing life expectancy, in order to ensure that their national pension systems were both affordable and adequate.
Source: OECD Pensions Outlook 2012, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Links: Report | OECD press release
Date: 2012-Jun
A briefing presented preliminary results of a study on the role of grandparents in family life in Europe. Grandparents were more likely to be poor in terms of wealth than people of the same age who were not grandparents, with around 1 in 4 grandparents in the bottom 20 per cent of the wealth distribution.
Source: Karen Glaser and Giorgio di Gessa, Grandparenting in Europe: Main study – Preliminary Findings Briefing, Grandparents Plus
Links: Briefing | Grandparents Plus press release
Date: 2012-Jun
A paper examined the impact of recent reforms on the ability of pensions systems in Europe to alleviate poverty and maintain living standards. Although reforms had decreased generosity significantly, in most countries poverty alleviation remained strong. However, moves to link benefits to contributions had made some systems less progressive, raising adequacy concerns for certain groups. In particular, unless the labour market outcomes of women and of people on lower incomes changed substantially over the coming decades, state pension transfers would prove inadequate, particularly in eastern European countries.
Source: Aaron George Grech, Evaluating the Possible Impact of Pension Reforms on Future Living Standards in Europe, CASEpaper 161, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jun
A report examined pension adequacy in the European Union over the period 2010-2050. 'Great advances' had been made in the sustainability of public pensions: but adequacy outcomes were less impressive and largely contingent on changes in people s retirement and long-term savings behaviour.
Source: Pension Adequacy in the European Union 2010-2050, European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Jun
An article examined the interactions between public support for long-term care for elderly people in Europe and the caring function of families. Policy measures that had been introduced since the 1990s had aimed to support family carers in various ways, with the common objective of giving them the flexibility they needed in the organization of care arrangements, combining various resources (formal professional care, unpaid informal care, semi-formal care). Different patterns of flexibility could be identified according to the regulation of the policy measures.
Source: Blanche Le Bihan and Claude Martin, 'Diversification of care policy measures supporting older people: towards greater flexibility for carers?', European Journal of Ageing, Volume 9 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
An article examined policy measures in European countries relating to the care of older people, and their relationship with family care arrangements. The policy measures had been designed to support family carers in various ways, with the common objective of giving them the flexibility they needed in the organization of care arrangements.
Source: Blanche Le Bihan and Claude Martin, 'Diversification of care policy measures supporting older people: towards greater flexibility for carers?', European Journal of Ageing, Volume 9 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
A report said that the experience of ageing in the United Kingdom was poor compared with other European Union countries, with older people in the UK being the loneliest, poorest, and most concerned about age discrimination.
Source: Louise Bazalgette, Bryanna Hahn, and Marley Morris, Ageing Across Europe, WRVS
Links: Report | WRVS press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-May
An article examined the association between welfare state policies and the gendered organization of intergenerational support to older parents in Europe. Daughters provided somewhat more sporadic and much more intensive support than sons throughout Europe. Although about half of all children who sporadically supported a parent were men, this applied to only 1 out of 4 children who provided intensive support. Legal obligations were positively associated with daughters' likelihood of giving intensive support to parents, but did not affect the likelihood of sons doing so. Cash-for-care schemes were also accompanied by a more unequal distribution of involvement in intensive support at the expense of women. Social services, in contrast, were linked to a lower involvement of daughters in intensive support. The results suggested that welfare states could both preserve or reduce gender inequality in intergenerational support depending on specific arrangements.
Source: Tina Schmid, Martina Brandt and Klaus Haberkern,, 'Gendered support to older parents: do welfare states matter?', European Journal of Ageing, Volume 9 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
A paper examined the pension reform process in Europe. It considered options designed to bring entitlement systems closer to fiscal balance and still achieve their key aims. There was no single policy prescription that could solve all problems at once. Reform elements included a freeze in contribution and tax rates, an indexation of benefits to the dependency ratio, measures to stop the existing trend towards early retirement, an adaptation of the normal retirement age to increased life expectancy, and more reliance on private savings.
Source: Axel Borsch-Supan, Entitlement Reforms in Europe: Policy mixes in the current pension reform process, Working Paper 18009, National Bureau of Economic Research (Massachusetts, USA)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-May
A report examined employment trends for older workers in Europe, and the development of age-management policy at company and national level – before, during, and after the global recession.
Source: Employment Trends and Policies for Older Workers in the Recession, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Links: Report
Date: 2012-May
An article examined how long-term care systems, and in particular the incorporation of needs-based entitlements to care services or benefits, influenced formal and informal care utilization dynamics in Europe. In all countries, formal and informal care were more often complements than substitutes. The likelihood of becoming a formal or informal care user varied significantly between countries. In the Scandinavian countries and in several continental European countries with needs-based entitlements, the transition to formal care was strongly related to informal support being or becoming unavailable. There was little evidence of country differences in the effect of health variables on the transition to formal care. Although rates of formal care utilization continued to differ considerably between European countries, formal care allocation practices were not very dissimilar across northern and continental European welfare states: there was evidence for all countries of targeting of older persons living alone and of the most care-dependent older people.
Source: Joanna Geerts and Karel Van den Bosch, 'Transitions in formal and informal care utilisation amongst older Europeans: the impact of national contexts', European Journal of Ageing, Volume 9 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
A report said that nearly one-third of Europeans would be aged 65 or over by 2060. Having more people living longer posed 'significant challenges' for European economies and welfare systems. Based on existing policies, age-related public expenditure (on pensions, health, and long-term care) was projected to rise by 4.1 percentage points of national income between 2010 and 2060 – from 25 per cent to around 29 per cent of national income. Spending on pensions alone was projected to rise from 11.3 per cent to nearly 13 per cent of national income by 2060.
Source: The 2012 Ageing Report: Economic and budgetary projections for the 27 EU Member States (2010-2060), European Commission
Links: Report | European Commission press release | European Union press release
Date: 2012-May
An article examined variations in the use of preventive health services by people aged 50 and over in 14 European countries (including the United Kingdom). There were significant variations both within and between European countries. In all countries, higher-educated and higher-income groups used more preventive services. At the health system level, high public health expenditures and high family doctor density were associated with a high level of preventive care use: but specialist density did not appear to have any effect. Payment schemes for family doctors and specialists appeared to significantly affect the incentives to provide preventive healthcare: in systems where doctors were paid by fee-for-service, the utilization of all health services, including cancer screening, was higher.
Source: Florence Jusot, Zeynep Or, and Nicolas Sirven, 'Variations in preventive care utilisation in Europe', European Journal of Ageing, Volume 9 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
An article examined life course patterns and their consequences for income inequality in Germany and Britain. The liberal welfare state in Britain generated more unstable retirement trajectories (differentiated) that were more dissimilar across the population (de-standardized) than the conservative-corporatist welfare state in Germany. Contrary to common conjectures, this was not associated with higher income inequality among retirees in Britain. There was no simple straightforward link between life course patterns and income inequality.
Source: Anette Eva Fasang, 'Retirement patterns and income inequality', Social Forces, Volume 90 Number 3
Links: Article
Date: 2012-May
A paper used the detailed retrospective information provided by the third wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to estimate two different measures of lifetime resources.
Source: Christoph Weiss, Two Measures of Lifetime Resources for Europe Using SHARELIFE, Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Apr
A new book examined whether, and to what extent, the interplay in European countries between pension reforms and the spread of 'atypical' employment patterns and fragmented careers had a negative influence on economic security in old age.
Source: Karl Hinrichs and Matteo Jessoula (eds.), Labour Market Flexibility and Pension Reforms: Flexible today, secure tomorrow?, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Apr
A briefing paper said that older workers were an important part of the workforce of modern societies, and that their numbers would increase in coming decades. Better health and life expectancy of older workers improved their opportunities to enhance an age-friendly society. However, a good working life was an important prerequisite for older workers to remain active and to ensure that society benefited from their strengths and talents. Investments in active ageing needed to be secured during the working years, including investments in occupational health and safety.
Source: Juhani Ilmarinen, Promoting Active Ageing in the Workplace, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
Links: Briefing
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined the role of childhood conditions and social inequality in older Europeans' propensity to age successfully, controlling for later-life risk factors. Unfavourable childhood conditions exhibited a harmful influence on individuals' chances to age well across all European welfare states considered in the study. Policy interventions should thus aim at improving the conditions for successful ageing throughout the entire life course.
Source: Martina Brandt, Christian Deindl, and Karsten Hank, 'Tracing the origins of successful aging: the role of childhood conditions and social inequality in explaining later life health', Social Science & Medicine, Volume 74 Issue 9
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined the impact of lifecourse family and labour market experiences on household incomes of older people in Belgium and the United Kingdom. Differences between the two countries could be explained in terms of welfare regime arrangements. Family experiences had a larger impact on incomes in old age in 'male-breadwinner' Belgium, whereas in Britain labour market events were more important. As social transfers in Britain were more aimed at poverty prevention and less at income replacement, a 'scarring effect' of unemployment persisted even into old age.
Source: Caroline Dewilde, 'Lifecourse determinants and incomes in retirement: Belgium and the United Kingdom compared', Ageing and Society, Volume 32 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined informal and formal home-care use among older adults in European countries. Older adults were more likely to receive informal care only in countries with fewer home-based services, less residential care, more informal care support, and more women working full time. The incorporation of societal determinants rather than commonly used welfare state classifications resulted in a better understanding of the conditions that determined older adults' care use.
Source: Bianca Suanet, Marjolein Broese Van Groenou, and Theo Van Tilburg, 'Informal and formal home-care use among older adults in Europe: can cross-national differences be explained by societal context and composition?', Ageing and Society, Volume 32 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper presented a multidimensional approach to the adequacy of the pension systems systems of 26 European countries. Three dimensions of adequacy were defined: income, poverty, and differentiation of pensioners' material situation by gender.
Source: Filip Chybalski, Measuring the Multidimensional Adequacy of Pension Systems in European Countries, Discussion Paper 1204, Pensions Institute (City University)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper examined the fact that European countries with high senior employment rates had the highest levels of job satisfaction despite an older and more physically limited workforce. This paradox could be explained by heterogeneous levels of job quality: better working conditions might enable older workers with disabilities to remain satisfied and employed. Improved job quality was a major factor in successful active ageing strategies.
Source: Catherine Pollak, Employed and Happy Despite Weak Health? Labour market participation and job quality of older workers with disabilities, Working paper 45, Institut de Recherche et Documentation en Economie de la Sante (Paris)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined legal and policy issues in relation to 'advance directives' within European healthcare – written or oral statements intended to govern healthcare decision-making for their authors, should they lose decision-making capacity in the future.
Source: Tom Goffin, 'Advance directives as an instrument in an ageing Europe', European Journal of Health Law, Volume 19 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined the effects that the changing dependency ratio might have on intergenerational relations in Europe. Although evidence was found of decreasing legitimacy of welfare for elderly people, this did not point to increasing intergenerational conflict.
Source: Thomas Emery, 'Intergenerational conflict: evidence from Europe', Journal of Population Ageing, Volume 5 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper examined whether population ageing in developed (OECD) countries had led to patterns of welfare spending that were biased towards elderly people; whether increasing political power by elderly people was a main causal factor behind these processes; and which particular countries were the most (and the least) pro-elderly biased.
Source: Pieter Vanhuysse, Does Population Aging Drive Up Pro-Elderly Social Spending?, Research Paper 7, European Social Observatory (Brussels)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Feb
A new book examined the rise of welfare markets in western societies, focusing on old age provision (both retirement provision and elderly care). It considered whether pension and care systems were converging under the influence of globalization – with marketization being a key phenomenon – and to what extent this was creating a transnational culture of welfare markets.
Source: Ingo Bode, The Culture of Welfare Markets: The international recasting of pension and care systems, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Feb
A research note examined the 'active ageing' phenomenon in a European context. It drew a distinction between 'chronological ageing' and 'social ageing' – the latter being a social construct involving expectations as well as institutional constraints in respect of how older people acted as they aged. The active ageing movement was linked to social ageing: with rising average life expectancy, older people were expected to continue to participate longer in the formal labour market as well as in other productive activities.
Source: Asghar Zaidi and Eszter Zolyomi, Active Ageing, Research Note 6/2011, Social Situation Observatory (European Commission)
Links: Research note
Date: 2012-Feb
The European Commission published (following consultation) a White Paper on the future of pensions systems. It put forward a range of initiatives to: help create the right conditions so that those who were able to do so could continue working – leading to a better balance between time in work and time in retirement; ensure that people who moved to another European Union country could keep their pension rights; and help people save more and ensure that people got what they expected in retirement.
Source: An Agenda for Adequate, Safe and Sustainable Pensions, European Commission
Links: White Paper | European Commission press release | CBI press release | ETUC press release | EWL press release
Date: 2012-Feb
A report examined the age management practices of companies in Europe in light of restructuring undergone during the global economic recession. It looked at policy in relation to the retention of older workers (aged 50 or more) in employment at national and establishment levels in 9 European Union states (including the United Kingdom).
Source: Chris van Stolk, Impact of the Recession on Age Management Policies, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Jan
