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Lecture

The Politics of Healthy Ageing: Myths and Realities

Lecture by Jane Gingrich, University of Oxford

Add to calendar 2021-06-08 16:00 2021-06-08 17:00 Europe/Rome The Politics of Healthy Ageing: Myths and Realities Online Zoom YYYY-MM-DD
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When

08 June 2021

16:00 - 17:00 CEST

Where

Online

Zoom

This lecture is part of the MWP Multidisciplinary Research Workshop: "Turning the Tide: Contemporary Challenges to Health and Healthcare in Europe and Beyond".

The workshop is organised by Max Weber Fellows: Tamara Popic, Alexandru Moise, Mirjam Reutter, Katarzyna Doniec, Takuya Onoda, Aline Bertolin.

Abstract of the lecture:

"The politics of healthy ageing: Myths and Realities" 

This book examines the idea that population ageing in Europe creates a tradeoff between supporting health care systems and pursuing policies aimed at investing in the young. We argue that the argument that ageing is likely to produce unsustainable health care costs and crowd out alternative investments rests on three mechanisms: a) mechanical response to demographic changes b) via the political actions of older people and c) via politicians who pander to older voters rather than growth creating policies. The book as a whole argues that none of these mechanisms hold under greater scrutiny: the direct costs of demographic change are over-stated, the political mobilization of the elderly is multifaceted, and politicians can - but often do not - pursue policies that spread gains across generations. Instead, building on Lynch (2006) and more recent work on social investment (Hemerijck 2017), we show that there are not sharp tradeoffs between intra and inter-generational equality, indeed, places that invest in the young often produce healthier ageing and greater inter-generational equality. The question is how to create policy coalitions that last over the long-run that invest in both the old and young, something that has proven fragile in some contexts (e.g. the UK) but more resilient elsewhere (e.g. Nordic countries). 

Abstract of the workshop:

Health and healthcare issues have never been as salient as in the context of the present COVID-19 pandemics. This lecture series addresses the following questions: What are the main challenges facing population health and healthcare policies in the context of the present pandemic in Europe and beyond? How have countries dealt with these challenges? And what are the future prospects of health and healthcare in this pandemic-ridden world?

The aim of this lecture series is to explore these questions from diverse disciplinary perspectives. The lectures will cover topics of health inequalities, vaccinations, mental health, EU's health future and healthy ageing.

The event is organized as a series of lectures with renowned speakers who have worked on the topic of health and healthcare from different angles, with the Max Weber Fellows acting as moderators.

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The Zoom Link will be sent only upon registration.

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