Variations in older people's social and productive ageing activities across different social welfare regimes

Abstract

This study explores voluntary association involvement by seniors using a six-regime model with Esping-Andersen's three worlds of welfare as a starting point. Current literature is then used to argue for the inclusion of three additional regime types. The model, with its six illustrative countries, is then used to compare type and level of voluntary association membership and volunteering by older people. The first set of findings is a descriptive account of the context of ageing and social welfare in the six countries and the relationship between this context and volunteering by older people. The second set of findings utilises a broad comparative dataset, the World Values Survey (2005-2006), to explore differences in voluntary association involvement more specifically. The analyses suggest that differences across regime types are explainable in terms of the social welfare context. These findings suggest a possible line of approach to understanding differences across countries. © 2009 The Author(s). International Journal of Social Welfare © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare.