Available open access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.
Older adults civic engagement has become a key concern in academic and policy debates in recent years. However, existing studies on this topic remain fragmented across various conceptual and methodological approaches.
This book provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary and multidimensional perspective on older adults' civic engagement. It proposes a conceptual framework which understands civic engagement as a multidimensional concept encompassing a diversity of activities through which older adults contribute to their communities and wider society. Contributors explore the factors shaping older adults participation in various civic activities across the life course, considering their diversity in terms of social locations such as gender, health status, migrant background, socioeconomic background and residential arrangements.
By analysing past and current research, policy and practice, the book offers recommendations for future efforts to advance the field.
Arvustused
Through enlightening contributions of a strong team of scientists, the volume edited by Serrat provides crucial insights on one important social consequence of current demographic developments." Andrea Principi, National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing (INRCA) It is critical to recognise that older people contribute to society. This volume presents a unique perspective on the breadth and diversity of these contributions across settings and environments. Jeni Warburton, La Trobe University This book offers a comprehensive analysis of civic engagement in later life, highlighting diverse perspectives, underexplored themes and critical research gaps. Laurent Reyes, University of California, Berkeley
It is a real breath of fresh air at a time when we see around us a disturbing return to narratives of old age as a problem and a burden. The chapters in this book make clear how misguided these views are. Lucie Vidoviová, Masaryk University
Part 1: Civic Engagement in Later Life: Conceptual and Methodological
Aspects
1. A Conceptual Framework to Understand Civic Engagement in Later Life
Rodrigo Serrat
2. What Characterizes Civic Engagement in Later Life? Micro-, Meso- And
Macro-Level Influences Toon Vercauteren, Fredrica Nyqvist and Marina
Näsman
3. A Life-Course Approach to Civic Engagement in Later Life Sandra Torres
and Rodrigo Serrat
Part 2: Understanding Multidimensional Civic Engagement in Later Life
4. Informal Helping Behaviours in Later Life Montse Celdrán and Karima
Chacur-Kiss
5. Associational Memberships in Later Life Fredrica Nyqvist, Mikael Nygärd
and Emilia Häkkinen
6. Older People's Formal Volunteering Sarah Dury, Erin Grinshteyn and Marja
Aartsen
7. Older People's Political Participation Rodrigo Serrat and Clemens
Tesch-Römer
8. Digital Civic Engagement in Later Life Arlind Reuter and Thomas Scharf
Part 3: Civic Engagement within a Diverse Older Population
9. Older People with Disabilities Maria Dolores Majon Valpuesta and Mélanie
Levasseur
10. Older People Living in Long-Term Care Settings Feliciano Villar and
Inma Peiró-Milián
11. Older People with Diverse Migrant Backgrounds Pernilla Ågård and Sandra
Torres
12. Older People Living in Socially Disadvantaged Urban Areas Bas Dikmans,
Sarah Dury and Liesbeth de Donder
13. Older People Living in Rural Communities Rachel Winterton, Mark Skinner
and Kieran Walsh
Part 4: Future Directions for Policy and Research into Late Life Civic
Engagement
14. Looking back and Moving Forward: Future Directions for Research on Civic
Engagement in Later Life Rodrigo Serrat
Rodrigo Serrat is Associate Professor in the Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology at the University of Barcelona.
