Responding to Ageing Demographics: A Positive View from a Public Administration and Public Policy Perspective

Introduction

The reality of an ageing demographic in many, if not most, developed countries has been widely reported in the context of being a challenge to both public policy and the expected demands upon public services and public administration. Often too, the elderly are considered vulnerable individuals or groups. Both factors have significantly influenced the public policy debate (Pilichowski et al. 2007, Harper and Hamblin 2014, Pollitt 2016).

There have been graphic accounts of the phenomena and its societal impact, with one author describing it as a ‘silver tsunami’ (Payne 2015). China, perhaps significantly as a consequence of its past family policy, has responded with policies which create legal duties upon children to visit their parents (Liu and Sun 2015). This represents, perhaps, an example of a traditional intergenerational duty becoming a public-sector requirement. This requirement has often been the case for parents with their children, and it has been re-construed to operate in the opposite direction. Is it a harbinger of replication in other countries as the state finds that public resources are insufficient to meet the perceived needs of an ageing demographic?

The focus of this chapter will be to try and redress the perception of ageing as a social challenge which is generally the line taken in public policy literature in particular the focus on resources such as pension pressures, workforce challenges and social and medical care. Rather we will examine what has been variously described as ‘active ageing’ or ‘positive ageing’ and identify trends in the lifestyles of the increasing older generation. We will explore the concept of an ageing demographic as representing an ‘opportunity’ rather than a ‘challenge’ (Vincent 1996, Walker 2008, Zaidi et al. 2017). We will also challenge the perceived view that the elderly are always ‘vulnerable’ members of society.

The trends will be explored in the context of both public policy and public choice and will include lifelong learning, a redefinition of

‘retirement’ away from a date to a graduated transition, the importance of technology and the likely and emerging changing lifestyle choices of the ‘baby boomers’ and successive generations (Damant and Knapp 2015, Hyde and Phillipson 2015, Withnall 2015). The methodology will draw on major studies such as the UK Foresight project and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) studies and will access the growing literature on positive and active ageing.

The implications for public management are considerable in that the positive/active ageing will challenge the traditional user and ‘service’ driven relationship to older citizens. This may require a radical restructuring of public-sector policies in the light of a changed perception of the older demographic (Albury 2011).

Identifying the Issue of Ageing

In developing countries the population is ageing, and this represents a relatively recent phenomena (especially within the past 30 years). The reality of an ageing demographic in most, if not all, developed countries has been widely reported in the context of being a challenge to both public policy and to the expected demands upon public services and upon public administration. This has significantly influenced the public policy debate (Pilichowski et al. 2007, Harper and Hamblin 2014, Pollitt 2016). This chapter considers the perspective of government and public policy and whilst acknowledging the nature demographic change seeks to challenge the assumption that such changes inevitably represents a threat and challenge. In effect is the proportionate increase in an older demographic a ‘vulnerability’ or might it be an opportunity.

There have been graphic accounts of the phenomena and its societal impact with it being described as a ‘silver tsunami’ (Payne 2015). China, perhaps significantly as a consequence of past family policy, has responded with policies which create legal duties upon children to visit their parents (Liu and Sun 2015). This represents, perhaps, an example of a traditional intergenerational duty becoming a public-sector requirement. This requirement has not only been the case in respect of parents and their children but has also been re-construed to operate in the opposite direction. Is it a harbinger of replication in other countries as the state finds that public resources are insufficient to meet the perceived needs of an ageing demographic?

The focus of this chapter will be to try and redress the perception of ageing as a social challenge which is generally the line taken in public policy literature in particular the focus on resources such as pension pressures, workforce challenges and social and medical care. This chapter will examine what has been variously described as ‘active ageing’ or ‘positive ageing’ and identify trends in the lifestyles of the increasing older generation. We will explore the concept of an ageing demographic

Responding to Ageing Demographics 185 as representing an ‘opportunity’ rather than a ‘challenge’ (Vincent 1996, Walker 2008, Zaidi et al. 2017).

The trends will be explored in the context of both public policy and public choice and will include lifelong learning, a redefinition of ‘retirement’.