Dominant and Competing Paradigms in Gerontology: Towards a Political Economy of Ageing

Abstract

The origins and influence of social science perspectives have conditioned theoretical and empirical developments in the field of gerontology. Yet little systematic examination has been afforded to the role of social science in the production of gerontological knowledge in providing the underlying rationale for American social policy for the aged. This paper examines the dominant U.S. social science perspectives or paradigms and discusses the reasons for their centrality in American gerontological thought. The paper concludes with a proposal for an alternative line of inquiry — a political economy of ageing — which takes as problematic the effects of social history, the world economy, capitalism and social class on the ageing process and the aged and the policy interventions designed for them.

Unmaking old age: Political and cognitive formats of active ageing

“…In this regard critical gerontologists have argued that the gerontologically informed political institutions legitimise and reproduce historically constituted modes of production (e.g. Estes 2008, Estes, Swan & Gerard 1982, and that the opportunities and capacities of older individuals have been shaped by expert beliefs about ageing processes. This means that bureaucratic standards (Kohli 1986), policy instruments such as pension systems (Fry 2006, Walker 1980 and 'old age' services (Townsend 1981, Estes 1979 have formed the design of, and expectations towards, old age.…”

Age, Health and Medical Expenditure

“…More recent work has given institutions greater prominence and independence, so that they are no longer just responses to biological ageing and bring about their own normalised pattern of ageing. The strongest versions of this argument refer to the 'social construction of old age' and the 'structured dependency' of the elderly (Walker, 1980;Townsend, 1981;Phillipson, 1982;Estes, Swan and Gerard, 1982). From this perspective, institutions define the elderly as a group and assign them a lower, dependent status relative to younger age groups.…”

The Evolution of Retirement as Systematic Ageism

“…(Townsend, 2006, p. 164). Although more a perspective then a theory, political economy suggests that aging is a socially constructed process that is conditioned by one's location in the social structure and the economic, political and social factors that affect it (Estes, Swan, & Gerard, 1984;Phillipson, 1982).…”