Activating Senior Potential in Ageing Europe, 2008-2011
The ageing of society and the workforce is one of the dominant developments in modern European societies. This development presents society with the challenge on how best to deploy senior potential, both inside and outside the labour market. According to European governments and scientific experts labour markets are in need of higher participation rates, both of women and of older workers. The civil society may also need these ‘younger’ older people as more women are participating in the labour market, have less time to care for others or to volunteer, while the share in the population of ‘older’ older people who may need care is increasing. From another perspective the growing share of older people challenges society to safeguard the social inclusion of all people in later life, even though some may be worn out after a life of hard work.
This project aimed for an ambitious, exhaustive examination of the forces and mechanisms behind employers’, civil society organisations’ and governments’ behaviour and the resulting societal arrangements. To that aim it used large-scale surveys for the analyses of employers’ behaviour, and desk research and interviews to map government behaviour. Statistical analyses were used to provide insight into the participation and activity rates of people aged 50 to 70. The project also identified good practice at the level of companies, civil society and (national or local) government policies that contribute to continuous investment in knowledge and skills throughout the life course, resulting in high activity rates for people between the ages of 50 and 70.
For more information and updates go to the ASPA Project website
and the EU project website.
Project partner institutions
- Universiteit Utrecht UU, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute KNAW/NIDI, The Hague, The Netherlands
- Research Centre for Ageing and Society at the University of Vechta, CAS Vechta, Germany
- Centre for Labour Market Policy Research, Linnaeus University, CAFO Växjö, Sweden
- Centre for Comparative Welfare Studies, Aalborg Universitet AAU, Aalborg, Denmark
- Department of Gerontological Research of the Italian National Research Centre on Ageing, INRCA Ancona, Italy
- Jagiellonian University JU, Kraków, Poland
- Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, CEMS / IMM Paris, France
Selected project outputs
- Frerichs, F., Lindley, R., Aleksandrowicz, P., Baldauf, B. and Galloway, S. (2012). Active ageing in organisations: a case study approach. International Journal of Manpower, 33(6), pp.666 – 684.
- Lindley, R.M. (2012). Extending Working Life: Employer Behaviour and Social Policy, European Integration Process in the New Regional Global Settings, Warsaw: Elipsa, pp. 375 - 386. ISBN 978-83-61276-80-7.
- Principi, A., Lindley, R., Perek-Bialas, J., Turek, K. (2012). Volunteering in older age: an organizational perspective. International Journal of Manpower, 33(6), pp. 685-703.
- Frerichs, F., Lindley, R., Aleksandrowicz, P., Baldauf, B. and Galloway, S. (2011). Activating Senior Potential in Ageing Europe (ASPA): Integrated Final Report on Organisational Case Studies and Good Practices in Age-management. WP4, Deliverable 4.3 – WP4 Case Studies in Labour Organisations. EU 7th Research Framework Programme project. Brussels: European Commission.
- Lindley, R., Baldauf, B. and Galloway, S. (2011). Activating Senior Potential in Ageing Europe (ASPA): D.4.2 National Report: United Kingdom. Report on organisational case studies. EU 7th Research Framework Programme project. Brussels: European Commission.
- Frerichs, F. and Lindley, R. (with Aleksandrowicz, P., Baldauf, B. and Galloway, S.)(2009). Activating Senior Potential in Ageing Europe (ASPA): Case Studies in Labour Organisations. WP4, Deliverable 4.1 – WP4 Orientation and Literature Review. EU 7th Research Framework Programme project. Brussels: European Commission.
Conference presentations
- Lindley, R.M. (March 2012). Active Ageing - Active Employers. European Commission Journalists Conference: Reporting on Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity, Brussels.
- Baldauf, B., Galloway, S. and Lindley, R. (Dec 2011). Career development and mobility management as part of an organisation's age-management strategy - findings from a European study. Older Workers and Work Ability Conference, Mebourne.
- Lindley, R.M. (Dec 2011). Pathways of Practice - An Innovation in the Social Science of Age-Management. Older Workers and Work Ability Conference, Melbourne.
- Frerichs, F. and Lindley, R. (Nov 2011). Activating Senior Potential in Organisations - Clustered approaches and pathways of practice. European Foundation Seminar Series 2011-12 'Improving working conditions: contribution to active ageing', Dublin.
- Lindley, R.M. (Oct 2011). Promoting Good Practice: deepening the relationship between policy, evidence and practice. Polish EU Presidency Conference, under auspices of Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Warsaw.
- Lindley, R.M. (Oct 2011). Extending Working Life: Employer Behaviour versus Social European Integration Processes in the Regional and Global Settings. Polish EU Presidency Conference, under auspices of Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Warsaw.
- Lindley, R.M. (Jun 2011). Learning from European Experience: Pathways of Age Management Practice. From early retirement to active ageing: Are European labour markets ready? Commission Seminar - DG Research and Innovation, Brussels.
- Frerichs, F., Lindley, R.M., et al. (Apr 2011). Activating Senior Potential in Organisations - A Case Study Approach. Seventh European Congress of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics on Healthy and Active Ageing for all Europeans, Bologna.
For all ouputs go to ASPA deliverables.
