Universität zu Köln

Goerres, Achim ORCID: 0000-0002-6065-6613 and Tepe, Markus ORCID: 0000-0002-6679-0346 (2010). Age-based self-interest, intergenerational solidarity and the welfare state: A comparative analysis of older people's attitudes towards public childcare in 12 OECD countries. Eur. J. Polit. Res., 49 (6). S. 818 - 852. HOBOKEN: WILEY. ISSN 1475-6765

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Abstract

When faced with the necessity of reforming welfare states in ageing societies, politicians tend to demand more solidarity between generations because they assume that reforms require sacrifices from older people. Political economy models, however, do not investigate such a mechanism of intergenerational solidarity, suggesting that only age-based self-interest motivates welfare preferences. Against this backdrop, this article asks: Does the experience of intergenerational solidarity within the family matter for older people's attitudes towards public childcare - a policy area of no personal interest to them? The statistical analysis of a sample with individuals aged 55+ from twelve OECD countries indicates that: intergenerational solidarity matters; its effect on policy preferences is context-dependent; and influential contexts must - according to the evidence from twelve countries - be sought in all societal spheres, including the political (family spending by the state), the economic (female labour market integration) and the cultural (public opinion towards working mothers). Overall, the findings imply that policy makers need to deal with a far more complex picture of preference formation toward the welfare state than popular stereotypes of 'greedy geezers' suggest.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Goerres, Achim UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-6065-6613 UNSPECIFIED Tepe, Markus UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-6679-0346 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-495465
DOI:	10.1111/j.1475-6765.2010.01920.x
Journal or Publication Title:	Eur. J. Polit. Res.
Volume:	49
Number:	6
Page Range:	S. 818 - 852
Date:	2010
Publisher:	WILEY
Place of Publication:	HOBOKEN
ISSN:	1475-6765
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language REDISTRIBUTION; SUPPORT; RISKS; PREFERENCES; FAMILIES; REGIMES; INCOME; WORLDS Multiple languages Political Science Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/49546