Four Lenses of Population Aging

Patrik Marier is a professor in the Department of Political Science at Concordia University.

• IntroductionFacing the consequences of an aging populationPurpose of this bookWhy focus on Canadian provinces?Why focus on civil servants?MethodsContentTHEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGChapter 1 – The Lenses of Population AgingIntroductionThe Intergenerational LensGenerational accountingDependency ratioMusgrave rule Generational politicsThe Medical LensPopulation aging – a rising number of seniors with special needsGeriatrics – a marginalised specialty in medicineHealth promotion or how to age successfullyThe Social Gerontology LensThe "new" or "positive" gerontologyCritical gerontologyPolitical economyThe Organizational LensConclusion – Policy Lenses in Public AdministrationChapter  2 – Population Aging as Policy ProblemsIntroductionLinking policy problems with population aging lensesDefining what is the problemCausalitySeverityNoveltyProximityComplexityProblem populationSolutions to policy problemsSolvabilityMonetarizationGovernmental capacityInterdependenciesInteractions between the lenses: Co-existence, complementarity, and competitionIntergenerational and medical lensesIntergenerational and social gerontology lensesIntergenerational and organizational lensesMedical and social gerontology lensesMedical and organizational lensesSocial gerontology and organizational lensesConclusionChapter 3 – The Politics of the Long ViewIntroductionThe rise and fall of planningThe fallThe revival: Old wines in new bottles?Thinking and action with a long view in the public sectorWhat is the long viewHow to promote the long view within the public sector?What facilitate or impede the long view in Canadian provinces?Politicization of the civil serviceLeadershipPolicy capacity within the civil serviceProfessionalization of the long viewInstitutional mechanismsConclusionPUBLIC POLICY AND POPULATION AGINGChapter 4 - PensionsIntroductionHistorical overview and current structure of Canada’s pension policyCPP/QPPOccupational pensionsPrivate alternativesWhat solutions for pensions? CPP, ORPP, and new occupational toolsWhat is wrong with the Canadian pension system?The Harper years: Lack of consensus led to multiple provincial initiativesProvincial commissions on occupational pension plansPooled registered pension plans and Québec’s Voluntary Registered Savings ProgramProvincial earnings-related pension schemes: The longevity pension and the ORPPThe longevity pensionThe Ontario Retirement Pension PlanThe Liberal years: Improving the CPP, occupational pension plans, and new alternativesA lens analysis of the pension debatesConclusionChapter 5 – Health and Residential CareIntroductionHealth care expenditureOverview of health care expenditure in Canadian provincesPopulation aging and health care expendituresViews from civil servantsLong Term Care – Residential careA continuum of care?The geopolitical and economic realities of residential careHuman resourcesAnalysing the four lenses in health policyThe intergenerational lens embedded within the crowding out problem definitionDominance of the medical lens and the marginalisation of the social gerontology lensOrganizational lens – Expanding the health perspective into other bureausCOVID-19 and the Long-Term Care Crisis of 2020ConclusionChapter 6 – Home Care Services and CaregivingIntroductionHome care services in Canadian provincesWhat is home care?The Canadian context of home care – common challengesClassifying home care models in CanadaThe role of partisan politicsHome care as policy failure?CaregivingA De-familializing model?Caregiving policies across Canada and recent developmentsImpact on health status, labour market, and retirement incomeHome care as a universal solution for population aging?Intergenerational lensMedical lensSocial gerontology lensOrganizational lensConclusionPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND POPULATION AGINGChapter 7 – Central Agencies and Inter-Ministerial CoordinationIntroductionThe organizational lens and policy problemsCentral agenciesExecutive councilMonitoring the consequences of population aging in QuébecA unique initiative spearhead by a central agency in Nova ScotiaFinance MinistriesInter-ministerial coordinationAlberta’s approach to aging populationInformal channelsConclusionChapter 8 – Offices for SeniorsIntroductionThe Creation (and Expansion) of Offices for SeniorsA diversity of organizational settingsCouncils on agingWhat Do Offices for Seniors Do?Dissemination of informationConsultationsCoordination of seniors’ related issues and programsPolicy instruments and policy inputThe Tension Between the Social and Medical LensesEmbracing healthy agingA return to the Ministry of Health?Still a social perspective?Long Term ViewFacilitating a long term perspectiveObstacles to implement a long term horizonA Third Wave of Offices for Seniors? Seniors’ Advocate OfficesConclusion: Divergent Path for Seniors’ OfficesCONCLUSIONConclusionRevisiting the four lenses of population agingIntergenerational lensMedical lensSocial gerontology lensOrganizational lensRevisiting the theoretical expectations on the long viewFederalism, population aging, and policy diffusion and learningThe continuing marginalisation of social policies and its consequences in the context of an aging population and the challenges of COVID-19

"Marier’s new book is a treat for gerontologists as well as for policy-oriented readers who might appreciate this study of how different provinces have implemented policy responses to issues arising from population aging. The book is a tremendous accomplishment based on more than ten years of research in ten provinces, including analyses of public documents and 125 key informant interviews."- Laura M. Funk, University of Manitoba (Canadian Journal on Aging)