scholarly journals Too old to vote? A democratic analysis of age-weighted voting

2021 ◽  
pp. 147488512110626
Author(s):  
Andrei Poama ◽  
Alexandru Volacu
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Prima Facie ◽  
Political Equality ◽  
Weighted Voting ◽  
Electoral Outcomes ◽  
Older Citizens ◽  
Relevant Range

Are there any prima facie reasons that democracies might have for disenfranchising older citizens? This question reflects increasingly salient, but often incompletely theorized complaints that members of democratic publics advance about older citizens’ electoral influence. Rather than rejecting these complaints out of hand, we explore whether, suitably reconstructed, they withstand democratic scrutiny. More specifically, we examine whether the account of political equality that seems to most fittingly capture the logic of these complaints – namely, equal opportunity of political influence over electoral outcomes – can justify disenfranchising older citizens. We conclude that equal opportunity of influence cannot ground a blanket disenfranchisement of older people and that, taken in conjunction with other general considerations that apply to all sound electoral policies, partial disenfranchisement proposals (i.e. proposals for reducing the electoral influence of older citizens via age-weighted voting) are both quasi-inapplicable and practically unrobust across a relevant range of political contexts.

Older people’s news dependency and social connectedness

2021 ◽  
pp. 1329878X2110064
Author(s):  
Caroline Fisher ◽  
Sora Park ◽  
Jee Young Lee ◽  
Kate Holland ◽  
Emma John
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
News Media ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Older Citizens

Social isolation has become a growing issue, particularly among older citizens. The ‘digital divide’ has been identified as one of the contributing factors leaving many older citizens behind. While increasing digital literacy among seniors has been identified as one of the remedies, less attention has been paid to the role of news media on the wellbeing and connectedness of older people. Through the lens of the uses and gratifications theory, this article reports on the findings of a survey of 562 news consumers aged 50 years and above who live in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The analysis highlights the important role of news in reducing feelings of social isolation, particularly for those who spend more time alone and older people with cognitive impairment. Older participants who had difficulty concentrating and learning new tasks were also more dependent on news. We suggest this is due to the habitual, predictable and concise nature of news. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of news in the wellbeing of older people and point to the need for policymakers and those in the aged care sector to ensure access to news for older citizens to improve the quality of life.

The Difference Principle, Capitalism, and Property-Owning Democracy

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-172
Author(s):  
Andrew Lister
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Income Growth ◽  
Difference Principle ◽  
State Capitalism ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Difference

Abstract Jason Brennan and John Tomasi have argued that if we focus on income alone, the Difference Principle supports welfare-state capitalism over property-owning democracy, because capitalism maximizes long run income growth for the worst off. If so, the defense of property-owning democracy rests on the priority of equal opportunity for political influence and social advancement over raising the income of the worst off, or on integrating workplace control into the Difference Principle’s index of advantage. The thesis of this paper is that even based on income alone, the Difference Principle is not as hostile to property-owning democracy as it may seem, because the Difference Principle should not be interpreted to require maximizing long run income growth. The main idea is that it is unfair to make the present worst off accept inequality that doesn’t benefit them, for the sake of benefitting the future worst off, if the future worst off will be better off than they are anyway.

Unequal values: equality and race in state of the union addresses, 1960–2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 499-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney E. Hero ◽  
Morris Levy
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Racial Inequality ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
Political Equality ◽  
Civil Rights Era ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
State Of The Union ◽  
Economic Individualism ◽  
And Gender

AbstractWe analyze the prevalence and framing of references to equality and inequality in presidential state of the union addresses (SOTUs) delivered between 1960 and 2018. Despite rising income inequality and increased attention among political elites to structural inequalities of race and gender in recent years, we find very few direct or indirect references to inequality as a social problem and surprisingly few references even to the ostensibly consensual and primary values of equal opportunity and political equality. References to racial inequality have been few and far between since the height of the civil rights era. By contrast, another primary value in the American political tradition—economic individualism are a major focus in these SOTUs. We trace the scant presence of equality talk in these speeches to the ambiguous scope of egalitarian goals and principles and their close tie-in with race in America. We rely on automated text analysis and systematic hand-coding of these speeches to identify broad thematic emphases as well as on close reading to interpret the patterns that these techniques reveal.

scholarly journals Social Service Centers as Agents of Digital Socialization of Elderly People: on the Example of Organizing Computer Literacy Courses

2020 ◽  
pp. 15-19
Author(s):  
Olga Vasilyevna Zayats ◽  
Nadezhda Vladimirovna Osmachko
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Computer Literacy ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Municipal Services ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
The Social ◽  
Older Citizens

The paper reveals the essence and significance of digital socialization of older people, the importance of overcoming social exclusion by older citizens in terms of access to digital technologies. The purpose of the paper is to reveal the role of social service centers for the population, which act as agents of digital socialization of older people (based on the materials of a sociological study). The objects of the study were elderly people receiving social services in the Primorsky Center for Social Services of the Population, and senior citizens who were trained in computer literacy courses. The authors set the fol-lowing tasks: to determine elderly people’s interest in mastering computer literacy and how effective the “Internet ABC” program is. In addition, it was sup-posed to establish the importance of integrated cen-ters of social services for the population in ensuring computer literacy of pensioners. As a result of a sociological study, it was found that older people show a significant interest in modern information technologies. Computer courses organized on the basis of the center for social services help elderly people to get information about state and municipal services, work with the websites of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, the Social Insur-ance Fund, Public Services and Multifunctional Cen-ter.

Three Theoretical Aging Frames of Reference: Implications for a Rehabilitation Counselors' Model

1974 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 207-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Maynard
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Rehabilitation Program ◽  
Frames Of Reference ◽  
Rehabilitation Counselors ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Older Person ◽  
White House ◽  
Rehabilitation Counselor ◽  
Older Citizens

The rehabilitation counselor has an important role in working with the older individua1. This role has gained in importance as the number of elderly people has increased in our society along with demands for additional services. This paper recommends a re-focusing of interest for those rehabilitation counselors who feel they have little to offer this age group by proposing a model for counseling and involving older people in productive programs. Three aging frames of reference suggest certain postulates which indicate a need for further study in this area. With the 1971 White House Conference on Aging and the post conference in 1973 supporting a strong rehabilitation program for our older citizens, it is the purpose of this paper to stimulate the consideration of up-dating programs and approaches in working with the older person.

Designing clinical networks to manage the oral health of older people

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 118-122
Author(s):  
Vanita Brookes
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Clinical Networks ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Older Citizens

The UK has an ageing population. The population of older people is increasing in both absolute and relative terms, with older people forming a larger proportion of the population. In 1984, 15% of the population was over 65. By 2034 this will increase to 23%. Between 2009 and 2034 the number of people over the age of 85 is projected to more than double, accounting for 5% of the total population by that time.1 Dental clinical networks can, and no doubt will, play a major role in caring for our older citizens.

scholarly journals Revisiting the Role of Neighbourhood Change in Social Exclusion and Inclusion of Older People

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria F. Burns ◽  
Jean-Pierre Lavoie ◽  
Damaris Rose
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Aging In Place ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Urban Neighbourhoods ◽  
Neighbourhood Change

Objective. To explore how older people who are “aging in place” are affected when the urban neighbourhoods in which they are aging are themselves undergoing socioeconomic and demographic change.Methods. A qualitative case study was conducted in two contrasting neighbourhoods in Montréal (Québec, Canada), the analysis drawing on concepts of social exclusion and attachment.Results. Participants express variable levels of attachment to neighbourhood. Gentrification triggered processes of social exclusion among older adults: loss of social spaces dedicated to older people led to social disconnectedness, invisibility, and loss of political influence on neighbourhood planning. Conversely, certain changes in a disadvantaged neighbourhood fostered their social inclusion.Conclusion. This study thus highlights the importance of examining the impacts of neighbourhood change when exploring the dynamics of aging in place and when considering interventions to maintain quality of life of those concerned.

AGEING AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION Daniel Callahan, Rudd H. J. ter Meulen and Eva Topkinkova (eds): A World Growing Old: The Coming Health Care Challenges. Georgetown University Press, Washington, 1995, 175 pp. ISBN 0 878 40576 3.

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-92
Author(s):  
MALVIN SCHECHTER ◽  
HAROLD L. SHEPPARD ◽  
ALAN MAYNARD ◽  
ROBERT H. BINSTOCK ◽  
STEPHEN G. POST ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Alzheimer Disease ◽  
Older People ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Georgetown University

A geriatrician's perspectiveThe problem and its rootsWho shall have when all will die?RESOURCE ALLOCATION AND SOCIETAL RESPONSES TO OLD AGESpecial Issue of Ageing and Society, Volume 15 part 2, June 1995Commentaries:1.) And a Few Pinches of Politics and Economics2.) The case of Alzheimer disease3.) Professional and political influence on resource allocation for older peopleReply to Commentaries:Facts, Values, Ideologies and Ageing

Nonideal democratic authority

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-276
Author(s):  
Alexander S Kirshner
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Political Equality ◽  
Electoral Outcomes ◽  
Democratic Authority

Empirical research has transformed our understanding of autocratic institutions (Gandhi, 2008; Magaloni, 2006; Schedler, 2009). Yet democratic theorists remain laser-focused on ideal democracies, often contending that political equality is necessary to generate democratic authority (Buchanan, 2002; Christiano, 2008; Estlund, 2008; Kolodny, 2014B; Shapiro, 2002; Viehoff, 2014B, Waldron, 1999). Those analyses neglect most nonideal democracies and autocracies – regimes featuring inequality and practices like gerrymandering. This essay fills that fundamental gap, outlining the difficulties of applying theories of democratic authority to nonideal regimes and challenging long-standing views about democratic authority. Focusing on autocrats that lose elections (for example, Sri Lanka, 2015), I outline the democratic authority of nonideal, flawed procedures. Flawed elections are unjustifiably biased toward incumbents. But under certain conditions, ignoring an incumbent’s loss would require not treating one’s fellow citizens as equals. Under those conditions, therefore, citizens are bound to obey those electoral outcomes – that is, flawed procedures can possess democratic authority.

scholarly journals Egalitarianism

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Knight ◽  
Andreas Albertsen
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Political Equality ◽  
Politics Of Identity ◽  
Moral Equality ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Substantive Equality ◽  
Egalitarian Theory

Equality as a bare concept refers to two or more distinct things or people being the same in some dimension. Different forms of equality are distinguished by the dimension that is held to be the same. Within political theory, three main forms of equality can be distinguished: moral equality, political equality, and substantive equality. “Moral equality” refers to each individual having the same inherent dignity as a human being, and therefore being worthy of respect. “Political equality,” by contrast, refers to each individual having the same basic rights of involvement in political processes, e.g., by voting or running for office. Modern political theories generally accept that each individual has moral and political equality. The distinguishing feature of egalitarianism is its interpretation of this equal status as requiring substantive equality, i.e., that each individual be placed in the same social or economic conditions. Egalitarianism is an inherently normative view, and more specifically, a view about distributive justice—that is, about the appropriate distribution of benefits and burdens. The account of these benefits and burdens varies from one egalitarian theory to another. For instance, some egalitarians believe that levels of benefit should be measured in terms of resources, others in terms of well-being, and still others in terms of basic capabilities. Egalitarians also disagree on whether benefits should be distributed equally or whether equality of substantive condition in some other sense (i.e., equal opportunity or equal social standing) might be sufficient. Accordingly, each egalitarian theory has its own account of equality. These theories as a whole contrast with non-egalitarian theories, such as right libertarianism or conservativism, which deny that people’s condition should be made equal in any substantive sense. In practical terms, egalitarianism is strongly associated with the political left, but different brands of egalitarianism are associated with different brands of left-wing politics, from traditional socialism or social democracy to a less distribution-focused politics of identity. This article provides an overview of egalitarianism, primarily focusing on its development in contemporary political theory. For left libertarianism, see the Oxford Bibliographies article “Libertarianism.”

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