Ageing Society and the Economy

Master's seminars

The aim if the seminar is to study changes in the economy and the society resulting from the population ageing. This process affects or will affect all aspects of our lives. It is not only the questions of work or retirement, we should also consider many issues: from health and family relations to consumption patterns and creations of new markets. Such a wide range of problems means that the seminar is open to students from all programs, interested in the effects of ageing in their fields. During the seminar students will gain new knowledge about the populations’ ageing and develop research skills necessary to write a master thesis. The grading will be based on the progress in the preparation of the MA thesis.

The topics of the seminar vary depending on students’ research interests. Main areas from which the subjects of dissertations are chosen include:

1. Changes in the individuals’ behavior and social relations,

2. Securing resources for the maintenance in the old age,

3. Problems with financing the old age support by the public sector,

4. Changes on and of the labor market,

5. Retirement systems’ reforms,

6. Creation of new markets, changes in the demand for goods and services,

7. Etc.

There is no general required reading for this seminar. Specific readings will be determined by students' interests and preferences. Examples of the literature include:

Atkinson A.B. (1999), The Economic Consequences of Rolling Back the Welfare State, The MIT Press

Auerbach A.J., M.S. Feldstein (eds.), Handbook of Public Economics, Elsevier, North-Holland

Averting the Old Age Crisis. A World Bank Policy Research Report (1994), Oxford University Press.

Barr N., P. Diamond (2008), Reforming Pensions. Principles and Policy Choices, Oxford University Press

Clark, R.L., R.V. Burkhauser, M. Moon, J.F. Quinn, T.M. Smeeding (2004), The Economics of an Aging Society, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford

Gruber Jonathan, David A. Wise (eds.) , Social Security and Retirement around the World, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1999

a) Knowledge:

1. A student has knowledge of the populations’ ageing and its consequences for the society, the economy and the state

2. A student has the knowledge of methods and tools used to analyze the ageing process and its effects

b) Abilities:

1. A student is able to model, analyze and interpret the social and economic processes resulting from the ageing if the population.

2. A student uses the knowledge gained during her/his studies and his own analyses to solve research problems.

3. A student is able to conduct an econometric analysis, select data and information, present the outcomes of the research and write it down in a thesis.

c) Social abilities:

1. A student is able to define priorities in the research process.

2. A student is able to acquire and improve her/his knowledge and skills.

KW01, KW02, KW03, KU01, KU02, KU03, KK01, KK02, KK03

The seminar is passed if a student submits her/his master dissertation, which is accepted by the supervisor. In the fall semester the assessment is based on progress reports and presentations given during the seminar.