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  • Book
  • © 2011

The Individual and the Welfare State

Life Histories in Europe

  • Provides an introduction to the great research potential of SHARELIFE data
  • Gives an interdisciplinary overview over all relevant topics in the research fields of ageing and social policy
  • Targeted to the research community but also to professionals and practitioners

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Table of contents (24 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xx
  2. Income, Housing, and Wealth

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 17-17
  3. Income, Housing, and Wealth

    1. Explaining Persistent Poverty in SHARE: Does the Past Play a Role?

      • Platon Tinios, Antigone Lyberaki, Thomas Georgiadis
      Pages 19-29
    2. Childhood, Schooling and Income Inequality

      • Danilo Cavapozzi, Christelle Garrouste, Omar Paccagnella
      Pages 31-43
    3. Human Capital Accumulation and Investment Behaviour

      • Danilo Cavapozzi, Alessio Fiume, Christelle Garrouste, Guglielmo Weber
      Pages 45-57
    4. The Impact of Childhood Health and Cognition on Portfolio Choice

      • Dimitris Christelis, Loretti Dobrescu, Alberto Motta
      Pages 59-66
    5. Nest Leaving in Europe

      • Viola Angelini, Anne Laferrère, Giacomo Pasini
      Pages 67-80
    6. Homeownership in Old Age at the Crossroad Between Personal and National Histories

      • Viola Angelini, Anne Laferrère, Guglielmo Weber
      Pages 81-92
    7. Does Downsizing of Housing Equity Alleviate Financial Distress in Old Age?

      • Viola Angelini, Agar Brugiavini, Guglielmo Weber
      Pages 93-101
    8. Separation: Consequences for Wealth in Later Life

      • Caroline Dewilde, Karel Van den Bosch, Aaron Van den Heede
      Pages 103-114
  4. Work and Retirement

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 115-115
  5. Work and Retirement

    1. Labour Mobility and Retirement

      • Agar Brugiavini, Mario Padula, Giacomo Pasini, Franco Peracchi
      Pages 125-135
    2. Atypical Work Patterns of Women in Europe: What Can We Learn From SHARELIFE?

      • Antigone Lyberaki, Platon Tinios, George Papadoudis
      Pages 137-149
    3. Maternity and Labour Market Outcome: Short and Long Term Effects

      • Agar Brugiavini, Giacomo Pasini, Elisabetta Trevisan
      Pages 151-159
    4. Quality of Work, Health and Early Retirement: European Comparisons

      • Johannes Siegrist, Morten Wahrendorf
      Pages 169-177
  6. Health and Health Care

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 189-189

About this book

Our health, our income and our social networks at older ages are the consequence of what has happened to us over the course of our lives. The situation at age 50+ reflects our own decisions as well as many environmental factors, especially interventions by the welfare state. This book explores the richness of 28,000 life histories in thirteen European countries, collected as part of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Combining these data with a comprehensive account of European welfare state interventions provides a unique opportunity to answer the important public policy questions of our time – how the welfare state affects people’s incomes, housing, families, retirement, volunteering and health. The overarching theme of the welfare state creates a book of genuinely interdisciplinary analyses, a valuable resource for economists, gerontologists, historians, political scientists, public health analysts, and sociologists alike.

Editors and Affiliations

  • for the Economics of Aging (MEA), Mannheim Research Institute, Mannheim, Germany

    Axel Börsch-Supan

  • Economics of Aging (MEA), Mannheim Research Institute for the, Mannheim, Germany

    Martina Brandt

  • , Research Institute for Sociology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    Karsten Hank

  • (DIW Berlin), German Institute for Economic Research, Berlin, Germany

    Mathis Schröder

About the editors

Prof. Axel Börsch-Supan, Ph.D., is Professor of Economics at the University of Mannheim, Director of the Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA) and Coordinator of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

Dr. Martina Brandt is a Senior Researcher at the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in the Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA), University of Mannheim.

Prof. Dr. Karsten Hank is Professor of Sociology at the Institute of Sociology, University of Cologne.

Mathis Schröder, Ph.D., is a Senior Researcher at the German Socio Economic Panel (SOEP) in the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW). He was the Project Manager for the SHARELIFE project at the Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA) from 2007 to 2010.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access