Ageing and Health
The Politics of Better Policies
European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies Series

One of the most important political and economic challenges facing Europe and elsewhere is the ageing of societies. Must ageing populations create conflict between generations and crisis for health systems? Our answer is no. The problem is not so much demographic change as the political and policy challenge of creating fair, sustainable and effective policies for people of all ages. This book, based on a large European Observatory study, uses new evidence to challenge some of the myths surrounding ageing and its effects on economies and health systems. Cataclysmic views of population ageing are often based on stereotypes and anecdotes unsupported by evidence. How we address ageing societies is a choice. Societies can choose policies that benefit people of all ages, promoting equity both within and between generations, and political coalitions can be built to support such policies. This title is available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

1. Introduction; 2. Older People in Europe; 3. Ageing Equally: Politics, Health and Solidarity; 4. The Coalitional Politics of Win-Wins; 5. Unequal Ageing: The Politics of Ageing as the Politics of Health Inequalities; 6. The Implications of High- and Win-Lose Policies for the 'Ageing Crisis'; 7. Conclusion.

Scott L. Greer is Professor of Health Management and Policy, Global Public Health and Political Science at the University of Michigan and Senior Expert Advisor on Health Governance for the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.
Julia Lynch is Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Aaron Reeves is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford.
Michelle Falkenbach is a PhD Candidate at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Jane Gingrich is Professor of Comparative Political Economy in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford.
Jonathan Cylus is Head of London Hubs, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Clare Bambra is Professor of Public Health in the Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University.