• Areas of Expertise:
  • Business and society
  • Diversity
  • Employment status
  • Gender
  • Health
  • Human capital
  • Industrial change
  • Industrial relations
  • Labour market
  • Participation at work
  • Population and society
  • Quality of life
  • Quality of work
  • Social cohesion
  • Social protection
  • Time
  • Work-life balance
  • Work organisation

Population and society

In line with the EU Social Agenda 2005-2010, Foundation research in this area focuses on:

• age management in the workplace (company case studies)
• childcare
• mobility
• integration of migrants (CLIP)
• social capital

Age management in companies
As their numbers grow, the role of older people in society is becoming increasingly relevant to policy, as is the need for effective policies to promote opportunities for an ageing workforce.

Care issues
Childcare is playing an increasingly important role in European social policy. Foundation research has taken an in-depth look at developments in employment and good practices in the childcare sector, with a focus on services for school-age children.

Previous Foundation work focussed on family care of the elderly and employment in social care.

Mobility and migration
Enlargement of the Union has also focused the debate on mobility and migration. Cities and local authorities have an important role to play in the integration of migrants and the formulation of innovative policies.

Social capital
In Foundation research ‘social capital’ is understood as the ‘interaction of individuals within formal and informal networks that builds trust, communication, participation and a cultural dimension’. Findings show that involvement in social networks positively affects economic development.