Ageing, life-course and social change : research programme of the Division Agieng and Social Change (ASC)

Aims – This research programme forms the basis for further development of the Division Ageing and Social Change (ASC) as a leading Swedish and European research institution in the field of ageing and later life. The programme defines the conceptual framework of the division as well as the structure of its research themes. In doing so, it forms a proposal for cutting-edge research on ageing and later life within the institutional context of the Department of Social and Welfare Studies at Linköping University. The programme highlights the opportunities and connecting possibilities inherent in multidisciplinary cooperation. This approach is consistent with the key requirements for innovative research on ageing and later life i.e. the need for scientific excellence plus the need for a reliable core unit within Linköping University. At the same time, the programme reflects the basic orientations of ASC’s professorships. Conceptual basis – Research at ASC integrates analyses of social conditions with analyses of individual ageing processes. This is done within the theoretical framework of life-course research. The concept of the life-course as an institution, as a trajectory and as a lived biography within its macro-societal context is at the heart of ASCs agenda. It allows ASC to organize research from a truly multi-level perspective. ASC systematizes its multi-level- and life-course-oriented research on ageing and later life from two main angles. First, the structural and institutional dimensions of changing societies, populations and welfare systems that are related to changes in individual resources, performance and outcomes on all levels are emphasized. Second, ASC focusses on how the everyday life and health of older people are related to the social context of networks, families, local communities and local institutions and how they are embedded in macro environments such as economic and social security systems as well as their impact on these conditions. Research themes – In researching ageing and later life from the multi-level perspective of the life-course, ASC devotes itself to three key research themes that are strongly interdependent. The first theme is ‘ageing and social structure’, and it focuses on the issues of social inequality, integration and exclusion within a changing welfare society. The second theme is ‘ageing between health and disease’ and has a focus on health behaviours, ageing with morbidities and disabilities, as well as support needs and care and care systems. The third theme is ‘ageing in context’, which deals with the changing social, technological and spatial environments of individual ageing and their impact on individual agency and autonomy. In general, ‘future ageing’ is a major focus of ASC’s research. ASC’s intent is to contribute to discussions on the future of later life in an ageing society by generating knowledge that facilitates social debate on how to configure and achieve a sustainable society for all ages in Sweden, Europe and beyond. Agenda – Based on this comprehensive research program, ASC settles on a short-term research agenda that is adjusted on a yearly basis according to changes in scientific and societal debates, university needs and funding opportunities. The research agenda serves as a foundation for activity planning and for joint activities