Project: Ageing societies and organizations for older people

The project was funded by the Hans Böckler Foundation and ran from February 2007 to January 2009.

Project management: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schroeder

Project management: Bettina Munimus, Diana Rüdt

This project is about the role of social associations and trade unions as organizations representing the interests of older people in Germany. What interests do pensioners pursue as members of an association? What are the organizational structures and participation opportunities for older people in the associations?

German society is ageing. By 2030, more than a third (34.4%) of the population is expected to be over 60 years old. At the same time, there will be shifts in the labor market and welfare state restructuring processes. These changes will also alter the constellation of social policy actors. The so-called "senior citizens' issue" is a central component of the debate on the future of the welfare state. It is likely that there will be a further revaluation and reorganization of policy for the elderly. As member organizations, the associations will play a key role in this and will have to realign themselves.

In view of the increase in the proportion of older people in the overall population and the restructuring of the welfare state, which particularly affects pensioners, the question arises as to how these processes will affect the constellation of social policy actors in Germany. On the one hand, the interests and expectations of pensioners towards the selected organizations (trade unions and social associations) will be examined from the members' perspective. On the other hand, we will take a closer look at how the associations are adapting organizationally and programmatically to the changed environmental conditions. In order to be able to classify developments in Germany, comparative countries (Italy, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, USA) are used, which can be assigned to different types of welfare state and practice different models of "old-age policy". The central assumption to be examined is that there is a correlation between the expansion of the welfare state and the strength of organizations for older people.

The project is primarily based on qualitative, guideline-based interviews conducted with representatives (federal, state and municipal level) of trade unions and social organizations as well as with experts and academics. In addition, the existing participation opportunities for older members in the various organizations are examined. In order to be able to better predict the German situation and possible changes, some foreign cases are included as an excursus in order to be able to work out differences and reference characteristics more clearly.