Understanding quality of life and well-being of older people - Case studies of China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

Policy responses to challenges linked with rapid population ageing, especially in middle and low income countries, require a clear understanding of the factors that influence the well-being and quality of life of older people. Comparative analysis of secondary data has the potential to highlight outcomes of good policy practices and illuminate what policy reforms and data improvements are essential for this purpose.
The study proposed will undertake secondary data analysis of older people living in China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The choice of these countries is driven by the fact that the speed of ageing in these countries will be considerably fast: the proportion of the population aged 60 and over will be more than double by 2050. Also, these countries represent different policy regimes and, given past legacies, there is strong potential for mutual learning in policy making to address the issues of ageing and the aged.

The research will build upon the work undertaken by the PI and HelpAge International in constructing the Global AgeWatch Index 2013, and will make a unique contribution that will achieve not just the promotion of scientific comparative research on issues of ageing and older people, but also (through joint production of knowledge) it will achieve high levels of policy and practitioners impact, through engagement of experts and stakeholders and through web and media dissemination at various stages of the research.

The Global AgeWatch Index in its current form captures only the national levels of well-being of older people with data that is available in international databases. The project will shed further light on differentials within these countries, and what additional indicators can be computed from the national datasets providing further insights about the measurement of concepts of capabilities and vulnerabilities of older people. Through disaggregation of these indicators using the six most pertinent demographic and socio-economic attributes (age, gender, educational attainment, living arrangements, and regions such as rural/urban distinction), the study will highlight which of these attributes are particularly important for specific aspects of the quality of life and well-being of older people. By analysing key features of different policies operating in these countries, particularly with respect to social protection, health, social care and the enabling environments, the analysis will show how different policy settings can be linked to differential outcomes pointing to good policy practices that can be emphasised for the consideration of these four and other countries.

The above analyses of secondary data will be undertaken jointly with HelpAge International, which has substantive experience of engagement with the national governments for research and programming (see, for instance, Khondker et al. 2013; Erb 2011; Vilela 2013). National stakeholder consultations as well as presentation of the results in international conferences will deliver the key findings to academic and non-academic beneficiaries, to national and international stakeholders, and to researchers as well as statistical communities. The dissemination of key findings from this study will also help experts and stakeholders in other regions to guide their discussion with governments regarding policies on ageing; data collection and improvements; cooperation among national and international institutions to collate and share existing data; and how the evidence generated can be used effectively for policy implementation.

The future development of the GAWI and its wider use, arising from the project, will also shed a light on dimensions of growing concern to policy makers engaged in the post 2015 sustainable development framework, such as inequalities, eliminating persistent poverty, achieving universal health coverage and extending social protection through the social protection floor.

Who will benefit from this research?
By comparing micro data from four countries with high numbers of older people and with varying policy regimes, the project will highlight gaps and best practices in areas of academic research, as well as for policies on ageing and in data collection activities. A strategic programme of dissemination and impact will involve four layers of impact:

- Members of the advisory group: The study will be supported by an international advisory group, which will include at least one expert representative from each country; already, we have made contacts with the following experts in the four countries: Prof. Du Peng, Institute of Gerontology, Renim University, Beijing, China; Mathew Cherian Chief Executive, HelpAge India, Delhi; Ajeeba Aslam, Country Director HelpAge International, Pakistan; Mr Abid Ghafoor Chaudhry, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan; Ms Nirjharinee Hasan, Country Director, HelpAge International, Bangladesh.

- Policy makers at the national/sub-national level, by engaging with national academic, civil society and policy making stakeholders, at the national and sub-national level in the four countries in question - i.e. such as the China National Committee on Ageing, HelpAge in India, and HelpAge Affiliates and partners in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Likewise, the project team will also engage with key government departments such as the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Indian Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, and the Federal Planning Commission in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

- Statistical communities, who are involved in the data collection and analysis, i.e. by engaging with national statistical institutes (such as the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics; Indian Central Statistical Organisation; Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics), and

- International organisations, with particular interest in issues of ageing and (human) development (such as World Bank, UNFPA, WHO, UN-DESA, UNDP), and in the four countries in question, by engaging particularly with the regional/local offices of the international organisations.

How will they benefit from this research?
An advisory group will be formed, to function along the lines of the expert group that advised at various stages of the Global AgeWatch Index project. The advisory group will include representatives of national policy making bodies and statistical communities and national and international civil society. Consultations will be undertaken, during various stages of the proposed ESRC research so as take on-board the advice of these experts in maximizing the impact of the research.

A meeting with stakeholders will be organised around the end of the project (in the capital city of one of the four countries), so as to convey key findings of the research and policy analysis undertaken by the project; this meeting will also ensure that the findings will be used for the maximum benefits of welfare of older people in all four countries. The web portal, to be developed by HelpAge, will further ensure that the findings of the project are available also for all other countries included in the framework of the Global AgeWatch Index. In addition, the findings will be disseminated through a package of materials (such as PowerPoint, Question and Answer documents) to practitioners in 103 countries where HelpAge is active.

The most tangible global impact will be realised through the development of future editions of the GAWI. The refinements in the conceptual and measurement framework, that will become possible through in-depth micro-data study of China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, will be realised in the future editions of the GAWI for countries around the world, to make it a more credible source of comparative information on issues of ageing and older people.