Impact of interventions and policies on prolonging working life in good health: an international study

Lead Research Organisation: King's College London
Department Name: Social Science, Health and Medicine

Abstract

European governments have developed policies to keep workers stay in employment until older age, yet many workers leave work earlier than expected due to illness, disability or poor health. Despite the societal implications of this phenomenon, we know little about the health interventions and policies that could encourage workers to stay longer in work, as well as the economic costs of these interventions. This project aims to identify the policies and interventions that can help workers maintain employment by either diminishing the negative consequences of health problems or by improving the overall health of workers. In turn, the project also examines the impact of employment and retirement policies on maintaining good health. The project focuses on workplace interventions, health promotion programmes, and legislation and policies that support workers with health problems to remain in paid employment; and policies to prevent the development or aggravation of health problems. The project also studies the cost-effectiveness of interventions and policies for prolonging working lives in different social groups. The project will provide key evidence on the consequences of national policies on prolonging working careers and on the health of the workforce. It will also demonstrate the potential benefits of workplace and health interventions on the length of employment and worker's health.

Planned Impact

The primary target population that will benefit from the project are older workers, who have a chronic health problem that may affect their ability to enter and maintain paid employment throughout their work career. It is estimated that within the European union approximately 25% of workers suffer from a longstanding problem which restricts their daily activities, i.e. about 30 million in the European union. The main causes of longstanding health problems in the working age population are chronic diseases, such as musculoskeletal diseases, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and mental, nervous or emotional problems [28]. The European Pact for Mental Health and Well-being has estimated that up to 10% of the European population will experience some type of depressive or anxiety related disorder every year, with women much more at risk than men. The estimated annual costs of depression in the workforce in the European Economic Area were approximately 100 billion Euro due to productivity losses from employment [29]. For other comparable diseases cost of illness studies have been published. These figures demonstrate that the target population is large and that the social and economic consequences of chronic disease are of paramount importance to the health and wealth of the working population.

Our research will contribute directly to current and evolving governmental policies on employment and retirement by providing sound evidence for impact on the length of employment and health. This will be achieved in several ways: First, our study will provide evidence of how health and employment interact to influence the likelihood of extended working careers, and will elucidate some of the pathways that connect employment and health among older workers. Understanding these mechanisms will be crucial for the development of interventions and policies that may be effective in extending working lives. Second, recent years have witnessed many policy reforms in European countries, particularly related to retirement ages and pension systems. However, little is known about the potential impact of these reforms for the health of workers and their ability to have extended working lives. Our study will provide key evidence of how these policies may have both intended, but also unintended consequences on worker's health and their ability to work longer. Finally, policy makers will benefit from the project by obtaining information on the cost-effectiveness and cost-benefits assessment of the multiple interventions and policy measures for a sustainable and inclusive workforce. This tool will enable policy makers to make evidence-based decisions that are expected to lead to better employment and health outcomes, and ultimately increase productivity and population health and well-being.
 
Description 1. In the first phase of the project (lead King's College) we examined how extending-working-lives policies impact the health status of the affected population
- We focus on the United Kingdom, where the State Pension Age (SPA) has been gradually rising for women born after April 1950. We show that women who are ineligible for State pension due to the reform have worse mental-health and depression than a control group unaffected by the reform. The observed health effects are concentrated among women in strenuous occupations with low control on their job. (Carrino Glaser & Avendano 2020).
- We find that UK women who transitioned into retirement between 2009 and 2017 experienced an immediate improvement in mental health and depression, but this effected was shortlived and disappeared after a few years. (Sochas et al 2019, manuscript)
- We examined the health impact of a major pension reform in Colombia, which provided a non-contributory pension to poor older individuals without pensions. We find evidence that the reform led to small but significant reductions in the probability of reporting poor health and being hospitalised (Hessel et al 2018).

2. In the second phase (lead King's College), we investigated how policy measures prolonging labour force participation affect individuals' social activities and informal caregiving provision. Focusing on the UK we find that women aged 55 to 65 who were induced to work longer by the recent pension reform (see Phase I) have significantly reduced their supply of care to family and friends. For someone working 30 hours/week, the reduction in care-intensity amounts to 6.6 hours/week. Observed reductions are concentrated among women in strenuous occupations, and women with multigenerational care responsibilities, having both living parents and grandchildren (the "sandwich generation) (Carrino Nafilyan Avendano 2019; Carrino Nafilyan Avendano 2021, manuscript)

3. The third phase (lead Umea University) focused on disability benefits receipt among older workers in Sweden.
- disability pension in Sweden has dropped dramatically from early 2000s, and legislation as well as administrative processes have influenced this sharp decline (Söderberg et al. 2018). This decline means that workers with decreased work ability have decreased economic resources.
- Workers in physically demanding jobs that change industry/job have a lower need of disability benefits in 60-64 years of age.
- Workers who had got disability benefits for common mental disorders had an increased mortality (around doubled risk) (Söderberg in press).

4. The fourth phase (lead Erasmus MC) focused on how social and employment policies affect exit from labour market.
- Finding I: reductions in employment protection increase early retirement among workers with permanent contracts and increases unemployment, early retirement, and disability benefit update among workers with temporary contracts. Effects are stronger for lower educated workers and workers with poor health (Schuring et al 2020).
- Finding II: In all European regions, lower-educated workers have higher risks of leaving paid - employment due to disability benefits and unemployment than those with higher education (Schram et al 2019). In the case of the Netherlands the working life expectancy at age 30 is over 7 years longer among high- compared to low educated men. For women this difference is even larger (10 years) (Robroek et al. 2019). This disadvantaged position of lower-educated persons is primarily due to a higher prevalence of chronic diseases (Schuring et al 2019).
Exploitation Route In what ways might the outcomes of this funding be taken forward and put to use by others? *
Results from the first phase of the project can be used by policy makers to justify a redesign of state pension age legislation, for example by considering occupation as a potential criterion for the definition of pension eligibility. Labour market policies that facilitate a smooth transition to retirement might protect the health of lower occupational groups. Evaluation of current state pension age policy should factor in negative health effects into cost-effectiveness calculations.
Results from the second phase suggest the need for social care systems to adjust to address any gaps in care for older people as a result of pension reforms affecting the caregivers' work-care decisions. Optimal welfare may require alternative pension policies such as work flexibility laws that enable carers to combine demanding jobs with multigenerational caring responsibilities.
The aforementioned recommendations are reinforced by results in phase three, which suggest that workers in heavy demanding jobs should receive more support to change job/employer/career or to access retraining in older age. Workers with heavy jobs and low possibilities of reemployment would need some private or collective insurance.
Results from the fourth phase suggest that policy measures are needed to reduce educational inequalities in exit from paid employment due to poor health, targeting: (i) favourable working conditions; and (ii) supportive schemes for workers with chronic health problems.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy

Healthcare

Government

Democracy and Justice
 
Description NARRATIVE IMPACT We have carried out several activities to ensure our work reaches several stakeholders outside of academia (the list below provides details), particularly those involved in policy making. First, we established a close connection with governmental institutions with crucial roles in the design of economic and pension policy and reforms, namely, the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) and Her Majesty's Treasury (HMT), as well as with major charity organisations working with older people (Age UK and Centre for Ageing Better). After being invited to present our work in several DWP and HMT workshops on the "extended working lives" policies (in May 2018 and July 2018), we organised a policy-expert workshop and roundtable in February 2019 and June 2021 (held online due to the COVID crisis), with senior figures from the aforementioned stakeholders attending. All the stakeholders have expressed a substantial interest in our findings, and expressed a clear view that our results help in shaping future reforms of extending working lives, with particular reference to the Government's State Pension Age review in 2022. They agreed to further disseminate our findings within their respective bodies, and accepted to be involved in the draft of fact-sheets that could help reaching a wider audience, from policy-circles, to older workers and older people. Second, our project has aimed to influence international as well as national policy advisors, societal stakeholders and the general public: in January 2019, we were invited to present our findings at the European Centre for Social Policy and Welfare in Vienna, where we engaged in fruitful discussion and dissemination with the Austrian Institute for Advanced Studies, the Austrian Institute of Economic Research, as well as other stakeholders in the field of pensions and social-care in Austria. In 2018 and 2017 we presented our research in international workshops organised within the Joint Programmes Initiative "More years better lives" in London and Brussels, where we engaged with international stakeholders such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), as well as representatives from the European Commission; the Council of European Municipalities and Regions; the European Trade Union Confederation; The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development; the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare; the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy. Our research has raised interest in the media as well: findings from WORKLONG have been the subject of several interviews and media articles, which includes the Guardian, the Independent Yahoo! Finance (May 2020), the ESRC Society Now Magazine (Spring 2019), and the Royal Economic Society Newsletter (July 2020). Our findings have had wide impact on social media, especially on Twitter, where they gathered the attention of several UK associations who are leading the debate on future pension reforms. Our article in the Health Economics Journal has entered the top 5% of all scientific articles ever reviewed by Altmetric, which measures the quality and quantity of online attention that articles receive. Finally, we have presented part of our findings in an article for the online Magazine The Conversation (2019), as well as in a Podcast Research Briefing on 12 October 2020. Third, we have formed and worked together with our Impact Advisory Group led by the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands. We met with members of the Impact Advisory Group in Brussels to discuss our results and examine the potential ways the results could reach local governments. The Group includes Prof. Lars L Andersen (Aalborg University, Denmark), Prof M. Lindeboom (VU University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Greet Vermeylen (Working Conditions and Industrial Relations -WCIR, Eurofound) and Manuel Flores (OECD). We elicited and will continue to elicit the stakeholders' views of how results of the project can be best summarized, presented and disseminated via their own channels of communication. We have also created a website, which features key information on our research. Fourth, we have partnered with the WHO Observatory on Health Systems to produce a WHO Europe Policy Brief addressing the implications of working at older ages for health and health systems. The Policy Brief places the results of WORKLONG into the context of broader literature and examines the complex health effects of policies that have extended working lives to increase the sustainability of pension systems. We aimed to reach clinical practitioners, geriatricians, social workers and policy makers by presenting at major national and international conferences. In 2018, we have presented our papers at the Conference of the European Association for Population Studies in Brussels, the conference for International Association for Applied Econometrics in Montreal, the British Society of Gerontology Conference in Manchester, the Italian Health Economics association in Naples, the European Public Health Conference in Lubiana. In 2019, our work has been featured in important events such as the conference of the Population Association of America, the International Health Economics Association, the European Labour Economics Conference, as well as the American-European Health Economics Study Group. Between 2020 and 2021 we have participated (or will participate) to several prestigious online conferences such as the Royal Economic Society, the Society for the Economics of the Household, the UK Health Economics Study Group, and the Understanding Society Conference on Changing Families. Finally, we have been invited to present our research in seminars in the UK and abroad. In 2017 we presented our results at the "Fuller Working Lives" event organised by ESRC and the Centre for Ageing Better, as well as at the Conference "Global ageing: Challenges and Opportunities" organised by the Royal Society of Medicine in London. Between 2017 and 2021 we held seminars at the Congress of the International Health Economics Association in Boston (United States), as well as at the Work, Pensions and Labour Economics Study Group Conference in Sheffield (WPEG), at the Society for Epidemiological Research (SER) Conference in Seattle, USA; the Bordeaux School of Social Epidemiology; the workshop on aging, health and disability in Lausanne; the University of Trieste, Italy; The University of Rosario, Colombia; and the French National Academy of Medicine in Paris, France. Finally, we have been invited to present our findings at the Summer School of Ageing in Venice, the DIW Economics Institute in Berlin, the Institute of Education at UCL in London, and at the KCL/LSE ALPHA Seminar Series jointly organised by the London School of Economics and the King's College, which is open to the public and policy makers. The full list of dissemination activities and publications is presented below: 1. ALPHA Seminar Series, London School of Economics, 14/12/2016, Invited seminar, Carrino 2. Fuller Working Lives ESRC Event, London, 30/03/2017, Invited presentation, Carrino 3. JPI More Years Better Lives Networking meeting, London, 30/03/2017, Invited member, Carrino 4. Global ageing Conference, Royal Society of Medicine, London, 24/04/2017, Invited speaker, Avendano 5. Department for Work and Pensions, London, 27/04/2017, Invited seminar, Carrino 6. Workshop on aging, health and disability, Lausanne, June 2017, speaker Avendano 7. Summer School of Ageing, Venice International University, 7/6/2017, Invited speaker, Carrino 8. Society for Epidemiological Research (SER) Conference 2017, Seattle, speaker, Avendano 9. Bordeaux School of Social Epidemiology, July 2017, speaker, Avendano 10. World Conference - International Health Economics Association, 10/7/2017, speaker, Carrino 11. WPEG Conference, Sheffield, 27/7/2017, invited speaker, Carrino 12. ALPHA Seminar Series, King's College London, 29/11/2017, Invited seminar, Carrino 13. Department for Work and Pensions, London, 31/01/2018, Invited seminar, Carrino 14. JPI More Years Better Lives Conference, Brussels, 13/2/2018, invited speaker, Carrino 15. JPI More Years Better Lives, Networking Meeting, Brussels, 13/2/2018, invited member, Carrino 16. JPI More Years Better Lives, Progress Dialogue Meeting, 14/2/2018, invited member, Carrino 17. European Association for Population Studies Conference, Brussels, 6/6/2018, speaker, Carrino 18. Microeconomics Seminar Series at DIW Berlin, invited speaker Carrino. 19. International Association for Applied Econometrics, Montreal June 2018, speaker Carrino 20. Annual Conference - British Society of Gerontology, Manchester, 4/7/2018, speaker, Carrino 21. Department for Work and Pensions, London 25/07/2018, Invited seminar, Carrino 22. International Long-Term Care Policy Network Conference, Vienna, 10/09/2018, speaker, Carrino 23. Italian Health Economics Association, Napoli, 28/09/2018, speaker, Carrino 24. Institute of Education seminar series, London, 21/11/2018, speaker, Avendano 25. European Public Health Conference, Ljubljana, 1/12/2018, speaker, Carrino 26. Global Ageing and Health Seminars, London, 5/12/2018, invited seminar, Carrino 27. European Centre for Social Policy and Research, Wien, 23/01/2019, invited seminar, Carrino 28. WORKLONG project: Policy-expert workshop, London, 14/2/2019, organised event, Carrino&Avendano 29. Porto Institute of Public Health, Porto University (Portugal), invited seminar, Porto, 01/03/2019, Avendano. 30. Avendano, M. The impact of public policies on the mental health of older people in European Cities. University Autonoma of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, 2nd April 2019 (bilateral workshop organised by Dr. Avendano on 'Challenges for Public Policy in the 21th Century: Mental Health, Ageing and Megacities) 31. Carrino, L. Vulnerability and Long-Term Care in Europe - an economic perspective. University Autonoma of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, 2nd April 2019 (bilateral workshop organised by Dr. Avendano on 'Challenges for Public Policy in the 21th Century: Mental Health, Ageing and Megacities) 32. Carrino, L., Should I Care Or Should I Work? The Impact Of Working In Older Age On Caregiving. Population Association of America Conference, Austin, USA, April 11 2019. 33. Nafilyan V., Should I Care Or Should I Work? The Impact Of Working In Older Age On Caregiving. Applied Health Economics and Policy Workshop. 18-19 June 2019, Paris France. 34. Carrino, L., Later retirement, job strain, and health: Evidence from the new State Pension age in the United Kingdom. American-European Health Economics Workshop. Wien, Austria, 3-4 July 2019. 35. Carrino, L., Later retirement, job strain, and health: Evidence from the new State Pension age in the United Kingdom. University of Trieste, Italy, 12 September 2019 36. Carrino, L., Should I Care Or Should I Work? The Impact Of Working In Older Age On Caregiving. European Labour Economics Association, Uppsala, Sweden, 19-21 September 2019 37. Avendano, M., Social Policy as an instrument to improve the mental health of older people: International experiences. University of Rosario, Bogota (Colombia), 22 February 2020 38. Avendano, M., Social Policy: can it reduce or increase inequalities in health? French National Academy of Medicine, Paris (France), 22 January 2020 39. Carrino, L., Should I Care Or Should I Work? The Impact Of Working In Older Age On Caregiving. Royal Economic Association Conference, Belfast, Northern Ireland, April 6-8 2020 (cancelled due to COVID) 40. Carrino, L., Should I Care Or Should I Work? The Impact Of Working In Older Age On Caregiving. European Health Economics Association Conference, Oslo, Norway, July 8-10 2020 (cancelled due to COVID) 41. Carrino, L., Should I Care or Should I Work? The Impact Of Working Longer On Informal Care. Health Economists' Study Group (HESG) UK Health Economics Conference (Online 08/01/2021) 42. Carrino, L., Should I Care or Should I Work? The Impact Of Working Longer On Informal Care. Understanding Society - Changing Families Conference, March 2021 (online). 43. Carrino, L., Should I Care Or Should I Work? The Impact Of Working In Older Age On Caregiving. Royal Economic Association Conference, April 2021 (online) 44. Carrino, L., Should I Care or Should I Work? The Impact Of Working Longer On Informal Care. Conference of the Society of Economics of the Household, May 2021 (online). International publications: - Hessel P, Avendano M, Rodríguez-Castelán C, Pfutze T. Social Pension Income Associated With Small Improvements In Self-Reported Health Of Poor Older Men In Colombia. Health Affairs. 2018;March. - Brugiavini, A., Carrino, L., Orso, C. E., & Pasini, G. (2017). Vulnerability and Long-term Care in Europe: An Economic Perspective. Palgrave MacMillan - Carrino, L., Orso, C.E., & Pasini, G. (2018). Demand of long-term care and benefit eligibility across European countries. Health Economics. - Carrino, L., Glaser, K., Avendano, M. (2018). Later pension, poorer health? Evidence from the new State Pension age in the UK. Harvard Pop. Centre Series, Vol. 17, n.4 - Carrino, L., Nafilyan, V., Avendano, M. (2019). Should I care or should I work? The Impact Of Working In Older Age On Caregiving. SSRN Economics Working Paper Series. - Carrino, L., Avendano M. (2018), Prolonged working lives and health: evidence from the UK. European Journal of Public Health, Volume 28 - Schuring M, Robroek SJW, Oude Hengel K, Carrino L, Burdorf A (2018); Educational inequalities in the contribution of poor health to labour force exit and employment protection legislation in European countries. European Journal of Public Health, Volume 28 - Schuring M, Robroek S, Carrino L, O'Prinsen A, Oude Hengel K, Avendano M, Burdorf A, (2020). Does reduced employment protection increase the employment disadvantage of workers with low education and poorer health? Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. - Carrino L, Glaser K, Avendano M. (2020). Later retirement, job strain, and health: Evidence from the new State Pension age in the United Kingdom. Health economics, 29 (8), pp. 891-912 Unpublished working papers - Sochas, L., Carrino, L., Avendano, M. (2019). The end of the grind or the beginning of the end? Inequalities in the impact of retirement on women's health in the UK - Avendano, M., Carrino, L., Nafilyan, V. (2019). Mental health and income: evidence from UK pension eligibility. - Avendano M. Working at older ages: what are the implications for health, health systems and the economy? WHO Observatory of Health Systems Policy Brief, 2019 Articles on media and newsletters - Avendano, M., Carrino, L. (2019). How simple policy changes can help us age better and prevent cognitive decline, The Conversation, online. - Carrino, L., Nafilyan, V., Avendano, M. (2020). Should I care or should I work? The impact of working in older age on caregiving and outcomes. Royal Economic Society Newsletter, July 2020.
First Year Of Impact 2017
Sector Communities and Social Services/Policy,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice
Impact Types Societal

Policy & public services
 
Description Dissemination and dialogue with Department for Work and Pensions
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Participation in a guidance/advisory committee
 
Description Dissemination and dialogue with Department for Work and Pensions
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Participation in a guidance/advisory committee
 
Description Dissemination and dialogue with Her Majesty's Treasury
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Participation in a guidance/advisory committee
 
Description Where do we find the money to fund healthcare for an ageing population?
Geographic Reach Europe 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
URL https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/news-room/events/item/2022/01/18/default-calendar/where-do-we-...
 
Description Working at Older Ages Why it's important, how it affects health, and the policy options to support health capacity for work
Geographic Reach Europe 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to new or Improved professional practice
URL https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/329447
 
Description ORA (Round 5): How are varying care systems associated with inequalities in care and wellbeing in later life?
Amount £486,539 (GBP)
Funding ID ES/S01523X/1 
Organisation Economic and Social Research Council 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2019 
End 03/2022
 
Description Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Department of Economics 
Organisation Ca' Foscari University of Venice
Country Italy 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Dr. Ludovico Carrino is providing expertise on the SHARE dataset as well as on eligibility rules and recent reforms for European Pension systems.
Collaborator Contribution The research group at Ca' Foscari is providing expertise on handling the SHARE dataset, as well as substantial expertise on econometrics analysis and pension systems.
Impact The research groups at King's College and Ca' Foscari are producing a dataset of individual-level and comparable measures of Pension Wealth for a subgroup of the SHARE countries.
Start Year 2016
 
Description EMC-NL & UU-SE 
Organisation Erasmus University Rotterdam
Department Department of Epidemiology
Country Netherlands 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Dr. Ludovico Carrino is providing our partners with substantial expertise on Pension systems in Europe for several ongoing research papers at Erasmus University, with reference to both eligibility rules to receive pension and the reforms occurred in the last two decades. Furthermore, Dr. Mauricio Avendano and Dr. Ludovico Carrino are providing intellectual inputs and empirical expertise for several research papers at both Erasmus and Umea University, with particular reference to methods for identifying causal effects between changes in pension regulations and health outcomes.
Collaborator Contribution Both Erasmus and Umea University teams are providing intellectual inputs on the research design of our current main research focus, as well as substantial expertise on health variables and health indices adopted to identify specific health consequences of postponing the Statutory Pension Age in the UK. Furthermore, Umea University is providing access to micro-data to investigate the relationship between health and retirement in Sweden.
Impact The project is in its first year so there are no concrete outputs yet; outputs are expected during the second year.
Start Year 2016
 
Description EMC-NL & UU-SE 
Organisation Umea University
Country Sweden 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Dr. Ludovico Carrino is providing our partners with substantial expertise on Pension systems in Europe for several ongoing research papers at Erasmus University, with reference to both eligibility rules to receive pension and the reforms occurred in the last two decades. Furthermore, Dr. Mauricio Avendano and Dr. Ludovico Carrino are providing intellectual inputs and empirical expertise for several research papers at both Erasmus and Umea University, with particular reference to methods for identifying causal effects between changes in pension regulations and health outcomes.
Collaborator Contribution Both Erasmus and Umea University teams are providing intellectual inputs on the research design of our current main research focus, as well as substantial expertise on health variables and health indices adopted to identify specific health consequences of postponing the Statutory Pension Age in the UK. Furthermore, Umea University is providing access to micro-data to investigate the relationship between health and retirement in Sweden.
Impact The project is in its first year so there are no concrete outputs yet; outputs are expected during the second year.
Start Year 2016
 
Description Dissemination article for The Conversation 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Mauricio Avendano and Ludovico Carrino wrote an article for The Conversation. The article highlighted the importance of exploring how public policies can impact societal wellbeing and in particular mental and cognitive health, in the context of population ageing. The article was published online in November 2019, and was also disseminated on social medias such as Facebook and Twitter.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://theconversation.com/how-simple-policy-changes-can-help-us-age-better-and-prevent-cognitive-d...
 
Description Interview for ESRC Society Now Magazine 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact We were invited to be part of an interview for the Spring Edition of ESRC Magazine "Society Now" (in print). The interview gave us the chance to discuss the WORKLONG project findings about the health consequences of the recent UK reform which postponed the State pension age for women, and its important policy implications. This output will help us disseminate our findings to relevant policy stakeholders in the field of ageing and welfare policies, raising awareness about the unintended effects of pension reforms for older workers' health.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://esrc.ukri.org/news-events-and-publications/publications/magazines/society-now-magazine/
 
Description Interview on The Guardian 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact We were interviewed by the Guardian (reporter Amelia Hill) on the results and societal implications of our studies on the impact of the UK pension reform on the health of women, and more in general on how pension policies might affect societal wellbeing. The interview was published both on paper and online, and had resonance with the newspaper audience, with many comments, citations and requests for further information.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Policy expert workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact We organised an event with 18 policy experts, in a form of presentations and roundtable discussion, to present and debate the findings and implications of the WORKLONG project. We engaged with senior analysts and chief economists from the Department from Work and Pensions (Pensions and Later Life Analysis) and Her Majesty's Treasury (the Head of State Pension Branch as well as policy advisors). We engaged as well with senior policy managers at Age UK and Centre for Ageing Better (the largest charities working with older people in the UK), and senior academics from the London School of Economics and the University of Manchester.
All the policy stakeholders showed a substantial interest in our findings and their policy relevance. Several attendees highlighted how our results challenge some of the current assumptions underlining recent policies extending working lives. The workshop produced an oral agreement in which each group expressed its willingness to disseminate our findings to their respective fields. The representatives for the Department for Work and Pensions and AgeUK agreed to cooperate in the process of drafting a policy-note summarising the findings from the WORKLONG project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Research results featured on The Independent 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact Our research on welfare effects of pension reforms in the UK were the subject of an article on The Independent (reporter: Maya Oppenheim), published both in print and online. The article had resonance with the public, who engaged with us through several comments, messages, and request for further information.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Stakeholders Dialogue Meeting, JPI More Years Better Lives, Brussels 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact We presented our research in an international workshop organised within the Joint Programmes Initiative "More years better lives". In a specific "progress dialogue" meeting, we discussed our findings in front of a stakeholders board which included international organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), as well as representatives from the European Commission, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, the European Trade Union Confederation, The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, the - Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy, Age UK and the UK Centre for Ageing Better.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017,2018
URL http://www.jp-demographic.eu/news/jpi-mybl-2018-brussels-conference/conference-program-brussels-2018...
 
Description Talk at the European Centre in Vienna 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact In January 2019, we were invited to present our findings at the European Centre for Social Policy and Welfare in Vienna, where we engaged in fruitful discussion with the Austrian Institute for Advanced Studies, the Austrian Institute of Economic Research, as well as other stakeholders in the field of pensions and social-care in Austria.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.euro.centre.org/events/detail/3347
 
Description Where do we find the money to fund healthcare for an ageing population? 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Background:


Policy-makers worry about where to find the money to care for an ageing population. Ageing may have an impact on the size and productivity of the workforce and ultimately reduce tax revenues.

Common responses are to increase the age of retirement - both to reduce pension outlays and to maintain the share of the population in the formal labour market - and to reduce entitlements such as for health care to save money. But how much will revenues for health decline as populations age? What are the available policy options, and will these improve the sustainability of health financing? What is the impact of increasing the retirement age and how can we support an older workforce? Join us to find out!



Speakers:

Mauricio Avendano, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

Vesna-Kerstin Petric, Ministry of Health, Slovenia

Triin Habicht WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Strengthening, Spain

Jon Cylus, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, London, UK



Moderators:

Charles Normand and Erica Richardson, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies



This is one of 3 webinars from the 'Economics of Ageing Spotlight Series', which cover covering the revenue to pay for care, expenditure on health and social care, and the politics of population ageing.

We investigate key policy questions associated with population ageing, bringing together evidence from research and country experiences. We review what is known about the health and long-term care costs of older people and consider many of the economic and societal benefits of healthy ageing.

We also explore policy options that contribute to the sustainability of care systems in the context of changing demographics, minimize avoidable health and long-term care costs, and that support older people so that they can continue to contribute meaningfully to society.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/news-room/events/item/2022/01/18/default-calendar/where-do-we-...