This article analyses the influence of workforce ageing on labour productivity in Europe. This question is relevant because of the impact it may have on economic activity, social security systems sustainability and the wellbeing of the population. The method applied is a quantitative contrast using the panel data technique for 24 countries in the period 1983–2014. This research is framed in the open conversation in the literature on the possible impact of ageing on productivity and takes as reference the seminal work of James Feyrer and the contrast model developed by Shekhar Aiyar, Christian Ebeke, and Xiaobo Shao. The results obtained show how a 1% increase in the workforce between the ages of 55 and 64 is related to a decrease of the annual increase in productivity between −0.106% and −0.479%. The main contribution of the article is to provide, as far as the authors are aware, the first evidence of this negative relationship for the period 1983–2014, in addition to suggesting that the influence of ageing on productivity may be reduced by the evolution of the economies in question toward capital and/or knowledge-intensive sectors.

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Through the implementation of low carbon-based energy systems and participatory modes of governance, there are countless collective initiatives progressing towards a sustainable and resilient energy model. Local alternatives necessarily have to be able to scale in order to address global challenges. From the renewed paradigm of the commons, this empirical research provides a precise picture of the present scalability of these (self) transformative initiatives in Spain. Based on the identification and qualitative analysis of 18 of them via semi-structured in-depth interviews, the article explores their upper and lower limits; the importance of power distribution and citizen participation; the relational dimension of the scale; the upscaling forms and the role of public institutions. On the basis of the results obtained, the article finally presents recommendations aimed at strengthening this scalability of the energy commons.

Population aging is a great human achievement, but the economic literature normally addresses its effects in a narrow way and as a “problem” to be solved. The objective of this paper is to provide a more balanced approach to aging by calling into question some widespread ideas in the economic literature on aging, such as its supposed negative influence on economic growth, its impact on labor productivity or the assumption that aging societies are incapable of applying reforms. The paper adopts the renewed civil economy framework and takes as a reference the existing literature about beliefs and wrong assumptions on aging. The innovative contribution of this analysis lies in its effort to foster a positive perspective in the population aging field of research and in challenging negative associations regarding old-age stereotypes.

In the context of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in Bizkaia (Basque Country, Spain), and from the renewed Commons paradigm, this research analyzes the initial response given by the region’s employment ecosystem. Based on extensive quantitative and qualitative methods, it empirically explores the catalytic role that local public and social entities could play in coordinating an organized and systemic response of the employment-related stakeholders to an external impact, such as the current pandemic. The study of databases specifically provided by the Public Administrations for this research, in combination with two survey processes conducted to the main agents of the ecosystem, led to a greater understanding of the benefits of an organized and systemic reaction. From the community identification of a priori unrecognized impacts by individual actors to the proposal of actions closely connected to their short and long-term needs, the article finally presents recommendations aimed at strengthening the resilience and collaboration of the collective action.