Edward Elgar Publishing Families, Ageing and Social Policy: Intergenerational Solidarity in European Welfare States (Globalization and Welfare series)

Product Description This important book offers valuable insights into the way in which social policies and welfare state arrangements interact with family and gender models. It presents the most up-to-date research in the field, based on a variety of national and comparative sources and using different theoretical and methodological approaches. The authors address different forms of support (care, financial, emotional) and employ a bi-directional perspective, exploring both giving and receiving across generations. They illustrate that understanding how generations interact in families helps to reformulate the way issues of intergenerational equity are discussed when addressing the redistributive impact of the welfare state through pensions and health services. Encompassing a wide number of European countries as well as migrant groups, this book will greatly appeal to graduate students interested in sociology, social policy and social psychology. Researchers and policy makers in the fields of demography and sociology will also find the book an invaluable resource. Review 'Families, Ageing and Social Policy overflows with fascinating facts about modern families. . . anyone with an interest in the role of the family in ageing societies should consult this volume.' -- Gemma Carney, International Journal of Ageing and Later Life'. . . this book encapsulates the state-of-the-art in the European intergenerational solidarity discourse. Scholars and students alike will find it very informative. For those new to the subject, the development of scholarly work on intergenerational solidarity in Europe is clearly sketched in the introduction. Those already familiar will appreciate the combination of innovative empirical chapters and thought-provoking theoretical chapters.' -- Niels Schenk, Ageing & Society'This book is a welcome contribution to the study of population ageing, social policies and intergenerational relationships in European families. Edited by a leading family sociologist this book offers fresh updates and clear, insightful analyses of demographic development, family arrangements and intergenerational solidarity. Highlighting continuity as well as complexity and change in intergenerational relationships, this timely book is essential reading for all scholars and students interested in the interplay of ageing, family change and policy reform.' About the Author Edited by Chiara Saraceno, Honorary Fellow, Collegio Carlo Alberto, Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation and University of Turin, Italy