Global Aging and Social Work in a Neo-Liberal Context: An International Political Economy Analysis with Recommendations

1. Global Aging and Social Work in a Neo-Liberal Context:An International Political Economy Analysis with Recommendations Joe Schriver, PhD Professor jschrive@uark.edu Alishia Ferguson, PhD Assistant Professor ajfergus@uark.edu J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences School of Social Work

2. Purpose The purpose of today’s presentation is to start a conversation about the effect of neo-liberal policies on the global aging population and how gerontological social work responds. The following topics will be addressed: • Profile of Global Aging • Political Economy Perspective of Aging • Neo-Liberalism • The effects of Neoliberalism on Aging using Political Economy lens. • Neoliberalism-The implications for Gerontological Social Work

3. Global Aging Profile Nine major factors: • The overall population is aging. Rate greatest in LDCs. • Life expectancy is increasing. • The number of oldest old is rising. • Non-communicable diseases are becoming a growing burden (Examples: heart diseases, diabetes, cancer). • Some populations will shrink in the next few decades. • Family structures are changing. • Social insurance systems are evolving. • New economic challenges are emerging. • Patterns of work and retirement are shifting. (Bengston and Lowenstein 2004; Krug 2002; Estes et al. 2001 in Powell, 2010, pp. 2-3) Figures in following slides: UN World Population Aging 2009 & 2010 Revisions.

7. Political Economy Perspective Economic and political institutions create social policy. • Policy effects quality of life and opportunities. • Age and the welfare state. • Age and the labor market Political Economy of Aging: • This Perspective explores relationship between aging and social policy • Explains systematic economic and social inequities for older adults. A Lens for addressing: • Early Life Opportunities and Lifestyle Choices • Constraints and Choices on Income Security • Health and Wellbeing (Walker, 2009)

8. Political Economy Perspective • The Political Economy is rooted in relationships between: • Social structure • Individual social-economic status • Gender and Ethnicity • Life Course • Welfare State • Through the political economy perspective we realize: • Economic old age dependency is not created by chronological age alone • Bias based on class, gender and ethnicity (Estes, 1999; Kail, 2009)

9. The Moral Economy Component • Moral Economy as an extension of Political Economy • Old age is understood through moral precepts derived from market based principles of reciprocity • Moral Economy is concerned with the social construction of aging related to: • Fairness • Justice • Social Obligation • The moral economy informs debates such as: • The Deserving and the Non-Deserving • Generational Equity (Conway, 2006; Kail, 2009)

10. Neo-Liberalism “A ‘conservative revolution’ which ‘ratifies and glorifies the reign of . . . the financial markets, . . . the return . . . of radical capitalism, with no other law than the return of maximum profit, an unfettered capitalism . . . .’” (Bourdieu, 2001, p. 35 in Garrett, 2010, p. 340)

11. Neo-Liberalism: A Political Economy Lens • Remaking the State • ‘Accumulation by Dispossession’ • Privatization of public resources and services: Transfer of assets from public and civic sectors to private and class-privileged domains. • Financializing economies globally: Redistribution of wealth from workers & productive capital to finance capital – speculation, predation, & fraud. • Management & manipulation of debt & disinvestment crises: Creating a sense of precariousness. • State Redistribution: Large reductions in taxes on high incomes & capital wealth – agri& pharma subsidies, corp. socialism. (Garrett, 2010; Harvey, 2006; Polivka & Estes, 2009)

12. Neo-Liberalism: A Political Economy Lens Privatization Examples • Public utilities of all kinds (water, telecommunications, transportation), • Social welfare provision (social housing, education, health care, pensions) • Public institutions (such as universities, research laboratories, prisons) • Warfare (as illustrated by the ‘army’ of private contractors operating alongside the armed forces in Iraq) • Intellectual property rights established through the TRIPS agreement within the WTO defines genetic materials, seed plasmas, and all manner of other products, as private property. (Harvey, 2006)

13. Implications for Social Work • Delivery of care (residential, nursing) by big corporate providers • “Business of care,” priorities are profit & business values rather than quality of care. • Loss of traditional social work values. Old age policy and politics deeply affected by commodification • Globalization/neoliberalism focus on profit results increased inequality and social injustice, intensified by the great recession. • Old age as a demographic and economic disaster rather than a social issue complicated by poverty and health vulnerability. Scourfield, 2007; Polivka & Estes, 2009

14. Conclusions/Recommendations • Social work education, may be failing to adequately and critically examine neoliberalism and processes of neoliberalization. • Advocacy for preservation of public pensions and national health insurance as part of a broader strategy to gain support for alternative economic policies to achieve equitable, sustainable job-creating growth. • Engage with World Social Forum – voice of civil society. (Garrett, 2010; Polivka & Estes, 2009; World Social Forum, 2011)

15. Conclusions/Recommendations cont’d • Clinical model not helpful in this environment • Advocacy and Political Approach • Social/Economic Community Model • The social work profession suffers from structural lag that is neither linear nor created by any single factor. • Social work leadership must be more involved in dialogue at the national and international levels about policies that effect the growing older population. • (Ferguson & Schriver, 2011)

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