European Social Policy for the Elderly

Abstract

The principle behind old age policy is guided by our concept of and attitude toward old age. As Cicero wrote,¹ one should not separate old age from life itself; it is a part and parcel of it and, above all, in managing this field one should take into account our increased life expectancy. The first observation is that old age does not by any means coincide with retirement. But the fact is that as they grow older, a large number of people find it harder and harder to manage on a day-to-day basis. Therein lies the whole question of the risk of physical or mental dependency.

Personne ne peut croire que la conduite d’une économie est une chose simple. Peut-être sommes-nous, en fait, arrivés à un point où it manque un idéal pour définir une telle conduite de gestion.

J.K.GALBRAITH (Pour une économie meilleure)