Ageing and the Transition to Retirement : A Comparative Analysis of European Welfare States - Bert De Vroom

Ageing and the Transition to Retirement

A Comparative Analysis of European Welfare States

By: Bert De Vroom, Tony Maltby (Editor), Einar Overbye

Hardcover | 28 March 2004

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It is clear that there are two conflicting trends in Europe. Firstly, a demographic shift towards population ageing and secondly, a massive decrease in the labour force participation of older workers (aged 50 years and over). Both trends have re-enforced two socio-economic concerns of most European welfare states. These are the increasing costs for welfare states to finance "pathways" from employment to official retirement, and the threat of labour market shortages in the near future as a result of both the ageing process and the early exit of older workers. Consequently, a variety of new policy initiatives can be observed in many European countries. After years of excluding older workers from the labour market, we can now observe a trend in many countries to "re-integrate" them again. The combination of two trends, an ageing society and the massive early exit from the labour market of past decades, have also resulted in re-definitions of the social meaning of ageing, older workers, the transition from work to retirement and - on a more general level - the meaning of social citizenship. This book offers a refined and authoritative understanding of the changing ways the end of the working life is organized under different welfare state arrangements in ten EU countries plus Hungary, Slovakia and Norway. The authors consider: how changes in work and the life-course affect the relationship between ageing and work; which "pathways" out of the working life are available and what programmes or initiatives have been developed to change early exit into late exit or to re-integrate older workers in the labour market; and what the individual perspective on the relation between ageing and work is and how different institutions design the life course.
Industry Reviews
'The editors and contributors are to be commended for producing a book which, in addition to providing a wealth of detailed information on twelve different countries, also manages, unlike so many supposedly comparative works, to draw out important comparisons and Europe-wide trends. The result is an important contribution on a centrally-important economic and social policy issue for Europe in the coming decades.' Rob Sykes, Sheffield Hallam University, UK 'Across Europe governments are attempting to respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by ageing populations and workforces, while striving to reverse declining employment rates among older workers. This accessibly written compilation provides an invaluable guide to current debates and initiatives in a range of European countries. Offering new, comparative insights into one of the most pressing contemporary policy dilemmas, it should be of interest to anyone concerned about the future contours of people's working lives and citizenship rights.' Dr Margaret May, London Metropolitan University, UK '...this book certainly addresses a topic of immediate interest for welfare state researchers and policy makers alike.' Social Policy 'The national case studies offer a comprehensive and interesting analysis of the broad range of policy issues surrounding the early exit path in very different political and socioeconomic contexts.' Transfer '...this fascinating collection of papers on transitions to retirement in 12 European Union countries...[provides] many important perspectives on current European approaches to retirement transitions...' Ageing and Society '...[a] welcome addition to the literature covering issues of interest to older people and the professionals and carers who work with them...a well-written and researched edited collection...offer[s] important insights into a difficult and constantly shifting arena...makes[s] important contributions to the study of older people

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