Abstract

A comparative analysis between the EU and USA on ageism and the way older people are encouraged to participate in the ‘’online democracy’’. The accelerated digitization - specifically because of the Corona crisis - threatens to increase the gap between young and old. Prejudices with regard to age (discrimination) play a major role. In an inclusive society, everyone should have equal opportunities to participate. The relevance of this study is to identify best practices that may give impetus to new initiatives (towards legislation). Main topics to be covered: 1. Democratic Representation - Age distribution in Europe and USA of elected politicians as well as the electorate on national resp. regional and local level. Discriminatory measures - Legal provisions regarding age. 2. Participation in digital society - Communication governments-citizens; Influence of age categories on political ‘online democracy’; Influence of digitization on (democratic) participation of older people; Ethical dilemmas (privacy). 3. Lifelong Learning – (In)formal forms of learning; Importance of (digital) education for the over-50s; Interactive learning through own networks (community-based learning).

Presenters

Caroline Van Dullemen
lecturer Public Administration/Organizational Science, Faculty of Social Science, Free University Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Public Policy and Public Perspectives on Aging

KEYWORDS

Ageism, Digitalization, Digital divide, Comparative analysis, EU, USA

Digital Media

Videos