Social Exclusion Of The Elderly A Comparative Study Of Eu Member States

Focuses on social exclusion among the elderly (defined as the 55 + age group) in the EU's member States. Suggests that in all countries, poor health is an important factor increasing the risk of social exclusion.

Combating social exclusion is one of the key objectives of pension systems. This report focuses on social exclusion among the elderly (defined as the 55 age group) in the EU's member states. Social exclusion has been conceptualised as a state of individuals in relation to four dimensions. Two of these dimensions - material deprivation and social rights - are of a structural nature. The other two - social participation and normative integration - pertain to social settings and subcultural factors. Theoretically and empirically, the dimensions refer to one latent underlying social exclusion variable. The original method for measuring social exclusion was devised and tested for the Netherlands, making use of a dedicated dataset. In this study, the measuring instrument has been extended to EU member states, performing secondary analyses of various surveys. These datasets do not contain information about normative integration, but for each of the other three dimensions it has turned out to be possible to construct valid indices at the EU level. Two indices that are more general have been calculated as well: one is a combined index of material deprivation plus social rights and the other is a macro aggregate covering all three dimensions. The outcomes suggest that the elderly in the Nordic countries and the Netherlands are the least excluded, in terms of both the three separate dimensions of social exclusion and the more general indices. The Continental and Anglo-Saxon countries follow close behind. Social exclusion among the elderly is generally higher in the Mediterranean countries. The highest social exclusion scores are to be found in the EU's new member states in Eastern Europe, especially in the Baltic States and Poland. In all EU member states exclusion in terms of social participation increases as people grow older. Material deprivation shows the reverse pattern: in almost all countries, this form of social exclusion decreases with age. With regard to access to social rights - operationalised here in terms of adequate housing and access to medical/dental care - the picture is less straightforward. In nearly all Mediterranean and Eastern European countries, the elderly are more excluded than are the non-elderly in this respect. In the Nordic countries, Germany and the UK, the opposite occurs: access to social rights improves with rising age. In all countries, poor health is an important factor increasing the risk of social exclusion across all dimensions. Household income has a strong effect on material deprivation and access to social rights in most countries. Age and gender cannot be considered serious risk factors for any of the dimensions of social exclusion after the impact of other variables has been controlled for. Multilevel analyses show that only a small part of the country variation in social exclusion (as measured by the combined index) can be attributed to differences in the composition of the population in connection with health, education level, age and gender. A larger part is related to country differences in household incomes. A further (albeit rather small) part has to do with specific traits at the country level. Elderly persons are less excluded if countries attain a higher level of national wealth, spend more on social protection, show less income inequality and generate higher life expectancy. Diverging institutional arrangements - as defined by a classification of countries by their social security and pension regimes - also explain some of the variation in social exclusion. After controlling for the impact of income inequality, however, this effect largely disappears. This result suggests that such regime types mainly influence social exclusion indirectly, through their effects on income inequality. The latter is the country trait with the highest unique contribution to social exclusion of the elderly in the EU.

This book explores the diversity of social care provision for older people in six contrasting European countries. Using a common descriptive and analytical framework, the book examines how the organisation and delivery of care are shaped by the wider welfare regime. This is discussed at the level of both practice and policy, including detailed case studies illustrating key features of social care in each country. The authors conclude by showing how the concept of social exclusion can inform service development.

The Future of Europe has to be social, or there will be no Future! Welfare in itself is a concept that is dependent on cultural differences. These provide an explanation for the different historically-rooted welfare concepts throughout European countries. For our research we have consciously focused on European Union member countries, the number of countries involved in one way or another in the project is twenty. According to Esping-Andersen we differentiate three different types of Welfare models: the liberal "Beveridge systems, the conservative, corporatist "Bismarck systems and the social democratic or Scandinavian (Nordic) regimes. Our working group decided to opt for an "own class of countries belonging to a "Mediterranean Model. And we added also a group of "Central and Eastern European Systems. After having described these systems and their development, we have examined if, and to what extent the countries of a given regime are all following the same trends and developments. The question of a possible convergence of all these models in one future European social model was also investigated. At the end the most important questions remain: How can we overcome the austerity paradigm and move towards a cohesive society where everyone participates according to his means and where everybody gets according to his needs? How can we agree on a minimum socket of social rights in all European Countries

Drawing on interdisciplinary, cross-national perspectives, this open access book contributes to the development of a coherent scientific discourse on social exclusion of older people. The book considers five domains of exclusion (services; economic; social relations; civic and socio-cultural; and community and spatial domains), with three chapters dedicated to analysing different dimensions of each exclusion domain. The book also examines the interrelationships between different forms of exclusion, and how outcomes and processes of different kinds of exclusion can be related to one another. In doing so, major cross-cutting themes, such as rights and identity, inclusive service infrastructures, and displacement of marginalised older adult groups, are considered. Finally, in a series of chapters written by international policy stakeholders and policy researchers, the book analyses key policies relevant to social exclusion and older people, including debates linked to sustainable development, EU policy and social rights, welfare and pensions systems, and planning and development. The book’s approach helps to illuminate the comprehensive multidimensionality of social exclusion, and provides insight into the relative nature of disadvantage in later life. With 77 contributors working across 28 nations, the book presents a forward-looking research agenda for social exclusion amongst older people, and will be an important resource for students, researchers and policy stakeholders working on ageing.

Global processes have an increasing influence on local contexts and the nature and distribution of opportunities among populations across the globe. While capital and population mobility, advances in information and communications technology, and economic liberalization have fostered economic development, industrialization, and wealth for some, they have also engendered growing inequalities in income, prosperity, well-being, and access. Those left behind by these global transformations often experience not only material deprivation, but broader dislocation from the contexts, institutions, and capabilities that provide access to social and economic opportunity. The concept of "social exclusion" has been widely adopted to describe the conditions of economic, social, political, and/or cultural marginalization experienced by particular groups of people due to extreme poverty, discrimination, dislocation, and disenfranchisement. This book explores the dynamics of social exclusion within the context of globalization across four countries--China, India, South Korea, and the United States. In particular, it examines how social exclusion is defined, manifested, and responded to with regard to diverse social arenas and processes, varying mechanisms and scales, and a range of impacted populations. Based on collaborative research activities and in-depth deliberation among leading scholars from major academic institutions in each of the four aforementioned countries, the volume provides a rich account of the interplay between globalization and social exclusion, while highlighting the ways in which responses may be more or less effective in different contexts. Its insights will be of particular interest to academics, researchers, and students across diverse social science disciplines.

Presents the results of the research project on Adequacy and Sustainability of Old Age Income in the EU (AIM). Examines the differences among EU member States when it comes to saving for retirement. Suggests that while in some countries the working age population is able to sustain their consumption on retirement, in others there ia a significant saving gap.