None

This course analyzes what the World Bank, the European Commission, the United Nations and virtually every government in the rich democracies have acknowledged as a key challenge for today and tomorrow:  the interplay of major demographic changes with politics and policies. Populations have started aging fast all over the rich world, as fewer children are born and elderly people (starting with the already large-sized cohorts of postwar Baby Boomers) are living ever longer. What are the consequences of this for public policies and political life? Do the steadily increasing groups of elderly voters start to grab ever more public resources for themselves, leading to pro-elderly bias in democracies? Are we seeing the beginning of gerontocracy – the dictatorship of the elderly? If so, why and where (not)? Or do we rather live in pro-elderly welfare states embedded within otherwise child-oriented societies? Which resources do families transfer to their elderly and young members, and how does this change the picture of what generations do for each other? Where and when do elderly voters’ policy interests come at the expense of young people? If so, what are the political mechanisms behind this? And what can we say about the equity, or social justice, of the way different societies divide resources between the young and the old? Which policies and institutional innovations might improve intergenerational justice or the future sustainability of aging democracies? Should future governments invest more in children or young people in aging societies, for instance through higher education spending or even baby bonds or young people’ stakeholder grants, and why? Should parents get extra votes, or extra resources, in return for providing the public good of bringing well-educated children – future taxpayers- into society?

- Definitions of generations and of population aging

- Elderly bias in public policy; gerontocracy?

- Justice between the young and the old

- Political and policy conflict between the young and the old

- Policy and institutional innovations for future generations

 To achieve the goal of the course the learning outcome is that students…

… prove knowledgeable of:

- Discussed theories of political economy and political sociology of generations and public policy, their application to the case of the welfare state and their validity in reality

- Discussed theories and international evidence of intergenerational justice

…demonstrate skills to:

- Reflect on the merits and drawbacks of various theoretical approaches in explaining the political and policy causes and consequences of demographic change  

… exhibit competency to

- Assess and communicate the pros and cons of various proposals for policy reform in aging societies

Readings will be selected inter alia from excerpts from the following texts (approximately 1200 pages):

Gal, R.I., Vanhuysse, P. and Vargha, L. (2018), ‘Pro-Elderly Welfare States within Child-Oriented Societies,’ forthcoming, Journal of European Public Policy.

Gonzalez-Ricoy, I & Gosseries, A. eds. (2016) Institutions for Future Generations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Heckman, J. (2013), Giving Kids a Fair Chance: A Strategy That Works. Boston Books.

Lynch, Julia (2006), Age and the Welfare State: The Origins of Social Spending on Pensioners, Workers, and Children, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Tepe, M. and Vanhuysse, P. (2009) ‘Are aging OECD welfare states on the path to gerontocracy?’, Journal of Public Policy 29(1): 1-28.

Vanhuysse, P. (2013) Intergenerational Justice in Aging Societies. A Cross-National Comparison of 29 OECD Countries. Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung.

Vanhuysse, P. (2015) ‘Skills, stakes and clout: Early human capital foundations for European welfare futures’, in B.Marin (ed.) The Future of Welfare in a Global Europe. Alderschot: Ashgate, pp. 267-96.

Vanhuysse, P. and Goerres, A., eds. (2012) Ageing Populations in Post-Industrial Democracies: Comparative Studies of Policies and Politics. Abingdon: Routledge.

Spring 2018

15 sessions (2 hours each)

In addition to the weekly lectures, students are expected to participate in additional activities arranged in connection to the course for a total of 7 hours. A description of these activities will be provided in the course plan by the beginning of the semester.

Lectures combined with class discussions

Activity	Hours
Face-to-face lectures	30
Exercise classes	0
Preparation for lectures and exercise classes	120
Preparation for exam	119.7
Exam	.3
Total	270

June 2018

None

Oral examination, 20 minutes, individual, no preparation, internal examiners

Duration: 20 min

Location: SDU Odense campus

Internet access: None

Exam aids: None