Ethics and Ageing · Ethics and Ageing

Ethics and Ageing

The main problem pursued by the project can be expressed more specifically as follows: “What is the fairest combination of policy responses with which EU member states can maintain the sustainability of their welfare states in the context of population ageing?” This research project focused on three types of policy response in particular. The first type of response is to increase immigration of skilled working-age immigrants. This response can re-balance the proportion of younger to older members of society and thus enable transfer programmes from younger to older members to remain sustainable. The second type of response is to encourage higher fertility rates amongst existing members – for example, by offering cash allowances to families who many children. The third type of response is to increase the participation of certain groups in the labour market, especially women. This third response does not rebalance the proportions of age groups in society but increases the amount of work done by younger persons. Each of these responses can help to render transfer programmes sustainable, but they each also raise new problems of their own. Examining the ethical question of which combination of policy responses EU member states should pursue is important for society for one main reason: it is necessary to avert a “legitimation crisis” that will otherwise arise for EU welfare states. Unless EU member states conduct a well-informed, transparent and ongoing public debate about how to sustain their welfare states under conditions of ageing, a perception will inevitably arise for one or another affected group of persons that the transfer programmes that make up their welfare states are not fair. The project examined this problem by pursuing a number of overall objectives. The main objectives were (a) to produce four research articles that develop new research in the three areas distinguished within the project, (b) to edit a published symposium of articles on the research theme of the project written by experts in the field, (c) to organise a conference on the research theme of the project, and (d) to engage in a number of dissemination activities, including conference presentations, presentations to a wider, non-expert audience, teaching seminars to students and staff and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and contributions to a blog. In order to complete the objectives, the principal investigator of the project would hold weekly progress meetings with the project supervisor (Professor Andrew Williams).

Data: CORDIS, © European Union