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Deutsches Institut für Japanstudien

International Workshop

Well-being in Ageing Societies: Perspectives from China, Germany and Japan

October 23 - October 25, 2013

The overall aim of this workshop is to bring together international experts studying the relationship between objective and subjective well-being and older adults/ageing societies in various fields to present their latest ideas and empirical research in order to help develop an agenda for future research on well-being in the ageing society. The discussion will focus on China, Japan, and Germany, as these societies represent different stages of economic development, speed of demographic change, cultural values concerning families and older people, and social policies which vary widely due to specific circumstances and historical path dependence. We plan to discuss three general questions:

  1. How do well-being, satisfaction, and happiness change over the life course in China, Japan, and Germany?
  2. What are the individual, economic, and societal factors that affect well-being, satisfaction, and happiness of older adults in China, Japan, and Germany?
  3. Which societal institutions, cultural frameworks and social policies help to enhance the well-being, satisfaction, and happiness under conditions of population ageing in China, Japan and Germany?

After comparing the demographic situation in China, Japan, and Germany, empirical evidence on psychological well-being over the life course in these three countries will be discussed, concentrating on the individual factors that influence life satisfaction and happiness as people age. We will then move on to discuss the role of societal and economic factors for subjective well-being. Finally, we will focus on policies for active ageing and well-being in ageing societies. We hope that the comparative perspective of the workshop will be productive for learning from each other in terms of general challenges and opportunities that China, Japan, and Germany are facing due to demographic and social changes. Despite the many differences between the three countries in regards to economic development, social structure and political system notwithstanding, they share the challenge of rapid population ageing.

The presentations are intended to stimulate discussion of research topics, methods and ideas that could suggest new avenues for studying the well-being of people in ageing societies from a cross-cultural perspective. Hence, the presentations should be brief and concise (10 minutes maximum) and focus on the three questions posed above. (a) life course trajectories of well-being; (b) individual, economic, and societal factors affecting well-being in late life; (c) institutions, cultural values, economic factors and social policies enhancing well-being.

The workshop is expected to facilitate future collaborative studies among participants. By focusing on the discussion among experts from various disciplines we hope to encourage the cross-pollination among disciplines and leverage the creative potential of our cross-national and multi-disciplinary setting.

Supported by
Stiftung Mercator Foundation

Presentations

Day 1         October 23rd (Wednesday)

18:00 – 19:30
Welcome and Keynote Panel

Welcome

Prof. Dr. Fang Cai, Director of IPLE-CASS, PR China
Prof. Dr. Clemens Tesch-Roemer, Director, DZA, Germany
Prof. Dr. Florian Coulmas, Director, DIJ, Japan
Dr. Florian Kohlbacher, Head of Business & Economics Section, DIJ, Japan

Keynote Panel: Visions for the Ageing Societies of China, Germany and Japan
Special presentation and demonstration of Paro
- Slides

Prof. Dr. Takanori Shibata, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan

Preparing for an Ageing Society
- Slides

Prof. Dr. Zhenzhen Zheng, Professor, IPLE-CASS, PR China

Well-being in Ageing Societies: Perspectives from China, Germany and Japan
- Slides

Prof. Dr. Ursula Lehr, President, BAGSO, the German National Association of Senior Citizens’ Organizations, Germany

Well-being in Agein Societies: The Case of Germany
- Slides

Prof. Dr. Clemens Tesch-Roemer, Director, DZA, Germany

Trajectories of Functional Health and Subjective Well-being over 20 Years
- Slides

Prof. Dr. Hiroko Akiyama, University of Tokyo, Japan

19:30 – 21:00
Welcome Reception

Day 2         October 24th (Thursday)

09:00 – 09:15
Keynote Speech

Dr. Xiao Caiwei, Vice President, China National Committee on Ageing

09:15 – 10:45
Session I: The Individual (Psychological issues)

Chair:

Prof. Dr. Clemens Tesch-Roemer, Director, DZA, Germany

Each speaker will give a concise input (max. 10 min) on research results which helps to discuss the following questions: -How does well-being change over the life course? -What are important psychological factors affecting well-being over the life course?
Mental Health of Chinese Elderly and Cultural Specific Approaches
- Slides

Prof. Dr. Buxin Han, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Prof.

Well-being in Ageing Societies: The Individual
- Slides

Dr. Michael Eid, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Free University Berlin, Germany

Effects of Productive Activities on Well-beings in Late-middle Aged and Aged People
- Slides

Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Shibata, University of Human Arts and Sciences, Japan

10:45 – 11:15
Coffee Break

11:15 – 12:45
Session II: The Society (Sociological issues)

Chair:

Prof. Dr. Hiroko Akiyama

Each speaker will give a concise input (max. 10 min) on research results which helps to discuss the following questions: -What are the economic and business challenges of ageing societies? -How do these economic and business challenges affect well-being over the life course?
China's Population Aging and Health System Reform
- Slides

Dr. Xuejin Zuo, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, China

Ageing, Later Life and Social Change in Germany
- Slides

Dr. Andreas Motel-Klingebiel, DZA, Germany

Gender Differences in Well-being over the Life Course: A Case in Japan
- Slides

Prof. Dr. Takako Sodei, Ochanomizu University

12:45 – 14:00
Lunch Break

14:00 – 15:30
Session III: The Economy (Economic and business issues)

Chair:

Dr. Xuejin Zuo, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, China

Each speaker will give a concise input (max. 10 min) on research results which helps to discuss the following questions: -What are the economic and business challenges of ageing societies? -How do these economic and business challenges affect well-being over the life course?
An Overlook at a Booming Mature Industry in Chinese Ageing Society
- Slides

Prof. Dr. Jiehua Lu, Department of Sociology, Peking University, China

Ageing and its Economic Implications for Europe
- Slides

Prof. Dr. Axel Boersch-Supan, Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging, Germany

Consumer Well-being in Later Life: Conceptual Foundations and Preliminary Empirical Evidence
- Slides

Dr. Florian Kohlbacher, DIJ, Japan

15:30 – 16:00
Coffee Break

16:00 – 17:30
Session IV: Technology

Chair:

Dr. Florian Kohlbacher

Each speaker will give a concise input (max. 10 min) on research results which helps to discuss the following questions: -What kind of technologies can contribute to successful ageing and/or active ageing? -How do technologies affect well-being over the life course?
Understanding Gerontechnology Acceptance by Elderly Hong Kong Chinese: A Senior Technology Acceptance Model (STAM)
- Slides

Dr. Ke Chen, Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, City University of Hong Kong, China

Well-being in Agein Societies: Perspectives from China, Germany and Japan
- Slides

Dr. Birgid Eberhardt, SIBIS, Germany

Gerontechnology for Successful Aging: From Compensation to Enhancement
- Slides

Dr. Ryoko Fukuda, Department of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University, Japan

Day 3         October 25th (Friday)

09:00 – 10:30
Session V: Actively designing Well-being in Ageing Societies (Policy issues)

Chair:

Prof. Dr. Axel Boersch-Supan

Each speaker will give a concise input (max. 10 min) on research results which helps to discuss the following questions: -What are policies for successful ageing and/or active ageing? -How do these policies affect well-being over the life course?
Aging Policies in China
- Slides

Prof. Dr. Jian Song, Population and Development Center, Renmin University, China

How did Japanese Social Policies Effect on Well-being for Older Persons?
- Slides

Prof. Dr. Takeo Ogawa, Kumamoto Gakuen University, Japan

Policies to Enhance Active Ageing in Germany
- Slides

Dr. Frank Berner, DZA, Germany

10:30 – 11:00
Coffee Break

11:00 – 12:30
Session VI: Discussion and Wrap-Up

Topic: The road ahead: Collaboration, research, action
Facilitators:

Prof. Dr. Zhenzhen Zheng, Professor, IPLE-CASS, PR China
Prof. Dr. Florian Coulmas, Director of DIJ, Japan

12:45 – 14:00
Lunch

14:00 – 17:00
Visit to Zhongyi Aging Development Center

Related Research Projects

Happiness in Japan: Continuities and Discontinuities

Challenges of Demographic Change