How to Make Pensions Sustainable and Socially Meaningful

How to Make Pensions Sustainable and Socially Meaningful

OECD’s Pensions at a Glance 2015
Pension reform is one of the most difficult and politically charged areas of social policy. This is true not only in the United States, where social security has been called the "third rail of American politics" – touch it and you die –, but also in many European countries. Changing the rules of retirement, such as pension ages and benefit levels, is unpopular and a tough sell for governments; raising pensions and allowing people to stop working earlier, by contrast, is a good way to make friends and builds support among an ageing electorate.
Education, Location and the Speed of Ageing

Education, Location and the Speed of Ageing

Eastern Europeans age faster than Western Europeans
Do different ageing patterns exist in different European areas, and is there a difference between East and West? To study the distinctive patterns of ageing by gender, and education in 16 European countries, Warren C. Sanderson and Sergei Scherbov use prospective ages in place of chronological ages. Prospective ages take changes in life expectancy into account. Prospective ages are based on how many years people have ahead of them, while chronological age is the number of years people have already lived.
A Positive View Towards the Housing Situation

A Positive View Towards the Housing Situation

Living conditions predict residential satisfaction of older people in Europe
Living conditions can affect the quality of life of older people in two different ways. The first is objective and regards the characteristics of dwellings. The second, instead, is subjective and respond to elder’s perceptions of how they accomplish the fulfilment of their needs. Both, together with their individual characteristics, build what has been defined as “residential satisfaction”. In their study Celia Fernández-Carro, Juan A. Módenes and Jeroen Spijker analyse both the levels of residential satisfaction and its determinants among older Europeans.
A Fountain of Youth

A Fountain of Youth

Looking after your grandchildren will make you feel younger
Population ageing has recently boosted an extensive debate about how to measure individual aging. The chronological age, even if conventionally used, is somehow limited because it does not capture people’s own representation of aging, that is, how old people actually feel they are. In their study on the United States, Valeria Bordone and Bruno Arpino test the association between subjective age, as an alternative measure to chronological age, and two important social roles for older adults: having grandchildren and providing grandchild care.
Current Issues in Health, Ageing and Mortality: a Roundtable with INED

Current Issues in Health, Ageing and Mortality: a Roundtable with INED

INED celebrated its 70th anniversary with special conferences, September 22, 2015. In this roundtable animated by the journalist Thierry Guerrier, the participants were : Jean-Claude Ameisen (French national ethics committee), Géraldine Duthé (INED), Agnès Lefranc (InVS), Jean-Marie Robine (Inser-Ined-EPHE).   Realisation: Odile Gras © Institut national d’études démographiques
Walk Your Dog to Grow Old Healthier

Walk Your Dog to Grow Old Healthier

Dogs can improve the overall health of their owners at older ages
Dog ownership can positively influence levels of physical activity, but there is little evidence when it comes to older adults. Despite the considerable gains of regular physical activity for improving their health and overall quality of life, older people remain the most sedentary group of the population. Does having a dog also increase levels of physical activity in people over the age of 65? The answer is yes.
Books and Reports: Pensions at a Glance 2015

Pensions at a Glance 2015

Abstract and Download Details
The 10-year anniversary edition of Pensions at a Glance highlights the pension reforms undertaken by OECD and G20 countries over the last two years. Two special chapters provide deeper analysis of first-tier pension schemes and of the impact of short or interrupted careers, due to late entry into employment, childcare or unemployment, on pension entitlements. Another chapter analyses the sensitivity of long-term pension replacement rates on various parameters. A range of indicators for comparing pension policies and their outcomes between OECD and G20 countries is also provided.
Discussion Paper No. 3: EU Civil Society and Demographic Change (2015)

Discussion Paper No. 3: EU Civil Society and Demographic Change (2015)

Download Discussion Paper 03/2015 (1.52 MB)
This paper focuses on the views and concepts of European civil society actors on the issue of demographic change and related fields. Chapter 1 clarifies the scope of this paper in terms of how EU civil society is understood, what aspects of demographic change and population policy are considered and which period of time is cov­ered. Chapter 2 provides examples of institutionalised forms of exchange between the EU and civil society organisations at the European Commission level in areas relevant to the issue of demographic change.
Discussion Paper No. 2: Demographic Change on the Political Agenda of the European Commission (2015)

Discussion Paper No. 2: Demographic Change on the Political Agenda of the European Commission (2015)

Download Discussion Paper 02/2015 (1.37 MB)
This paper offers insights into how demographic change is discussed as a political challenge at the European Union (EU) level, specifically the European Commission. Chapter 1 provides basic conceptual specifications and definitions on how population policies and demographic change are understood in this paper. Chapter 2 describes the institutional set-up and framework of population policies at the EU level. Chapter 3 gives a short overview of how demographic issues are institutionally framed as areas of political action within the European Commission.
The European Demographic Data Sheet

The European Demographic Data Sheet

The European Demographic Data Sheet pools current figures as well as projections. It covers the EU 27-countries and 22 other states on the European continent as well as Japan and the United States. Basic demographic data about fertility, ageing and migration is presented in one main table and short explanatory text and additional graphs highlight certain interesting developments. The Data Sheet is updated with a new focus every two years. Maintainer/Info: Sergei Scherbov
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