IIASA: New Research on Aging

The social, economic and policy challenges associated with aging in Europe will be the focus of new research at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the agency announced Sept. 1.

The study will be funded by a €1 million European Research Council (ERC) grant to Dr. Vegard Skirbekk, a population expert with IIASA, to improve methodologies for forecasting changes in population behavior, attitudes and competencies.

Entitled "The Demography of Skills and Beliefs in Europe With a Focus on Cohort Change", the study will investigate trends in the age and gender distribution of human capital, skills and work performance.

The goal is to predict how elements, such as productivity, attitudes, and beliefs are destined to change in Europe in the next 50 years, trends which have major implications for national and international planning in areas such as costs of healthcare, education or social security.

"The study is expected to yield significant insights that we expect could be helpful to governments or academia, to inform socio-economic planning in a world where population aging is unprecedented," Dr. Skirbekk said in a press release.