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Social Justice Research

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30-04-2022

A Multidimensional Approach to Intergenerational Balance Measurement: A Cross-Sectional Study for European Countries

Authors: Filip Chybalski, Edyta Marcinkiewicz

Published in: Social Justice Research | Issue 2/2022

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Abstract

The demographic shift experienced by developed countries inevitably results in a change in intergenerational relations. However, despite some attempts to evaluate intergenerational balance in quantitative terms, there is still a significant literature gap in this respect. This paper aims to propose a conceptual and empirical framework to measure intergenerational balance in a cross-country perspective which can serve for the comparative assessment of the outcomes of various policies. It addresses the research question in which countries selected generations are privileged over others in socio-economic terms. Our empirical study includes the investigation of the (relative) situation of different generations as well as comparisons of gender differences in terms of studied welfare state performance across generations to examine whether gender equality in some generations is more promoted than in others. As a criterion, we employ multivariate statistical analysis methods to group 25 European countries into clusters using the intergenerational balance in terms of poverty, income, housing, labour market, education and health. We distinguish four patterns in this respect: ‘Supporting young’, ‘Supporting adult’, ‘Discriminating against elderly’ and ‘Supporting elderly’. Our findings reveal that shifting the perspective from inputs to outcomes and including gender perspective gives a somewhat different picture of Europe in terms of intergenerational balance.

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Title: A Multidimensional Approach to Intergenerational Balance Measurement: A Cross-Sectional Study for European Countries
Authors: Filip Chybalski
Edyta Marcinkiewicz
Publication date: 30-04-2022
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Social Justice Research / Issue 2/2022
Print ISSN: 0885-7466
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6725
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-022-00392-5

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