Broad Remit for New Research on Ageing

In the US, grantmaking organisation the MacArthur Foundation is creating a new inter-disciplinary research network to help prepare for the challenges and opportunities posed by America's ageing society.

The Foundation says the nation is 'not well prepared to deal with the myriad consequences' of this demographic change. Vice President Julia Stasch comments: 'This new research network will address the broad social implications of this uncharted demographic territory, examining questions like: how can a large, longer-living, elderly population maintain its productivity and contribute to its well-being - and society's? How will it change our economy, our culture, our politics? Over time, will America look better, worse, or just different? And how can public policies — in immigration, work force development, health care, and others — and reform of our civic institutions affect our future in a positive direction?'

The Network will be supported by a three-year, $3.9m grant and will be chaired by Dr. John Rowe, Professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and former CEO of Aetna. Rowe says the new Network's remit will include 'exploring the substantial opportunities that may be derived by harnessing the wisdom and energy of the elderly in new organizations and arrangements that provide them with meaningful roles and yield economic, social, behavioral, and health benefits for them and other generations.' Among other goals, the Network aims to 'examine the potential benefits of remodeling the distribution of key activities, including education, work, and leisure, across the life course'.

The Network was announced just over a week ago at The Gerontological Society of America's annual scientific meeting in Washington, DC.

Named after businessman John D. MacArthur (1897-1978) and his wife Catherine (1909-1981), the Foundation had total assets of $7bn at the end of 2007, a year in which it made 504 grants totalling $267.2m. It is online at www.macfound.org .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.