Consequences Of Demographic Change Research Articles

7.L. Practice session: Is there an investment case for health at older ages?

Abstract The global demographic landscape is undergoing significant transformation due to increases in longevity and declining birth rates. According to the United Nations, the world’s population aged 65 and over is projected to more than double, reaching over 1.5 billion by 2050, while global fertility rates are expected to decline to 2.4 births per woman by 2030 and continue decreasing to 2.2 births per woman by 2050. Ageing populations have frequently concerned decision-makers due to the potential implications of changes in population age-mix for labour markets and the economy, as well as for the sustainability of public programs and spending, particularly the health sector. For example, as the share of the population at older age increases, there are concerns over how to cope with the possible economic implications of having a smaller share of people at traditional working age (with potentially more people obtaining income security through both public and private pensions) and how to respond to greater health and long-term care needs. Without appropriate policy responses, there are worries that demographic changes will have inevitable consequences for households, public finances and possibly for economic growth and development. To support policy decisions related to population ageing it is important to have informative evidence and modelling tools that allow policymakers to better understand both the implications of population ageing as well as the consequences of policy action or inaction. To this end, this session presents three recently developed modelling tools that aim to address a number of policy relevant questions related to ageing: 1) How does ageing affect health financing and are health systems unsustainable? 2) How does ageing affect economic objectives and does health at older ages matter? 3) Can we develop economically relevant measures of health at older ages if older people do not have formal ties to the labour force? Using data and analyses from a range of European countries, we will demonstrate empirically that the way ageing affects health financing systems, economies, and societies more broadly reflects policy choices and is not an inevitable consequence of demographic changes. Key messages • Policymakers must prioritize informed policies to comprehensively understand the impact of aging on health financing and economies, facilitating the development of sustainable solutions. • Immediate action is imperative to address the implications of aging on labor markets and public spending, ensuring future economic stability and safeguarding societal well-being.

Unveiling the Global Economic Impacts from Demographic Change in East Asia: An Estimation and Web Explores

This paper explores the economic consequences of demographic changes on development in 208 countries through 2100. We employ panel fixed effects models to estimate long-run equilibrium relationships between capital stock, labor force, and economic growth. Cointegration analysis confirms the existence of these long-run relationships. We affirm that there is a steady, long-run relationship between GDP, capital stock, and population. We also present our findings in an interactive web application, allowing users to explore how population shifts might impact economies worldwide. Highlighting key trends, we offer an illustrative case study of East Asia, while emphasizing the tool's universal applicability. Thus, this work does not seek to engage in specific academic discourse, but rather endeavors to contribute a valuable resource for informed public dialogue concerning the global economic implications of anticipated demographic transformations. The results show that the "Comparative Global Weights Forecasts" section showcases economic clout, illustrating Japan's decline and Indonesia's rise in global GDP rankings. Lastly, the "Comparative Regional Forecasts" section contrasts regional dynamics, such as East Asia & the Pacific versus South Asia, highlighting population peaks, economic growth disparities, and shifts in global GDP shares.

Growing Up in a Polarized Party System: Ideological Divergence and Partisan Sorting Across Generations

American political elites have increasingly polarized over the past decades, which has inspired much research into mass polarization. We study whether there is a generational component to mass polarization by disentangling period, age, and cohort differences while distinguishing two forms of mass polarization: partisan sorting and ideological divergence. Drawing from General Social Survey and American National Election Studies data, we find that partisan sorting has increased across long-standing and emerging issues, while ideological divergence has not. Contrary to expectations, over-time increases in sorting are clearly driven by changes within generations rather than by generational replacement. On several issues, newer generations turn out to be less sorted than those they replace. This tentatively suggests that, partially as a consequence of demographic changes, generational replacement will gradually lead to less polarization in American public opinion as it converges toward more liberal positions.

Забезпечення демографічної стійкості країн ЄС

Demographic resilience reflects a countryʼs (or regionʼs) ability and capacity to ensure the quanti­tative and qualitative reproduction of demographic structures under specific historical, socio-economic, legal, and natural conditions. Demographic processes are of fundamental importance both for national development processes and for achieving global sustainable development goals. It is essential to systematically and thoroughly study the current demog­raphic reality, understand it well, and base rational and effective responses to ongoing demographic challenges on this understanding. The long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, interna­tional conflicts, migration processes, and the mass wave of Ukrainian refugees to EU countries in 2022 have made the topic of researching demographic resilience more relevant. There is no single solution to respond to demographic challenges or fully compen­sate for the negative consequences of demographic changes. Therefore, it is necessary to implement and develop various adaptive measures and organizational-legal conditions to ensure demographic resilience. The research aims to justify and characterize the key organizational and legal conditions for ensuring demographic resilience in EU member countries. The theoretical and metho­dological basis of the research are scientific works of foreign and domestic scholars on the selected issue. General scientific and special methods are used, such as theoretical generalization, systemic analysis, systematization, statistical analysis, grouping, and scientific abstraction. Based on the crite­rion of "social protection of the population," the key organizational and legal conditions for ensuring demographic resilience were identified as follows: quality and accessible healthcare, gender equality, a developed system of social programs and assistance, the implementation of family-friendly policies, and effective management of migrations and refugees. The development of organizational and legal condi­tions depends on effective state policy and a compre­hensive approach to solving this issue. Demographic resilience is one of the essential conditions for achieving sustainable economic development based on a balance between the qualifications of the workforce, their number, willingness, and ability not only to perform specific tasks but also to participate in their formulation and determine the paths to achieving the desired results. The analyzed organi­zational and legal conditions for ensuring demographic resilience not only affect the social stability of the integration group but also impact the pace of economic development.

Revascularization of coronary chronic total occlusions in the elderly: what results? - The insights of a multicentre national registry

Abstract Lately, the remarkable progress in knowledge and treatment of cardiovascular diseases has been significantly impacting society's morbidity and mortality. However, the burden of coronary artery disease (CAD) remains non-negligible. In addition, as a consequence of demographic changes, age, as a non-modifiable cardiovascular risk factor, makes it increasingly important to focus on the elderly. Up to one-fifth of patients with CAD have a chronic total occlusion (CTO) of a coronary artery, defined as a lesion with 100% stenosis and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade 0 that exists for more than 3 months. There is current evidence that successful CTO-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is associated with clinical benefits. However, elderly patients are currently underrepresented in CTO-PCI randomized controlled trials and registries, and its clinical impact and safety in this group of patients are still debated. This study aims to characterise patients submitted to CTO-PCI and compare the baseline characteristics, coronary intervention features, intraprocedural complications and in-hospital mortality between patients younger and older than 75. The authors performed a retrospective analysis of adult patients submitted to a CTO-PCI, included in the Portuguese Registry on Interventional Cardiology between January 2019 and December 2022. Comparison tests between groups for parametric and non-parametric variables were performed. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 353 patients who underwent CTO-PCI were analysed, 271 (76.8%) with 18 to 74 years old (group 1) and 82 (23.2%) with 75 or more years old (group 2). Table 1 shows the most important baseline characteristics, with similar features for both groups except body mass index and smoking habits. Table 2 demonstrates the differences between the groups regarding PCI, with the left main and left anterior descending arteries being more treated among older patients and the right coronary artery in younger patients. Complete coronary revascularization and procedure success rate did not differ significantly between groups (p-value=0.19 and p-value=0.59, respectively). Finally, table 3 presents the main intra-procedural and in-hospital complications, with a significant difference only for occlusion of the side branch, occurring in 2 patients aged over 75 years (p-value=0.01). In conclusion, in our registry, the elderly presents a high success rate in the complete recanalization of CTO lesions, comparable to the group under 75 years of age. However, the presence of side branch occlusion was higher in older patients, without other significant differences in intraprocedural and in-hospital complications, including mortality. Further studies including a large sample and follow-up analysis would be essential to better understand the rate of risks related to PCI-CTO potentially associated with the complexity and comorbidities of the elderly.Table 1Table 2 and 3

Treatment practice of patients with Parkinson's disease in Saxony : A secondary data-based analysis of utilization in the observation period 2011-2019

The consequences of demographic change are already noticeable in Saxony, the federal state with the highest average age in Germany and predominantly rural areas. In order to improve medical care for patients with Parkinson's disease (PwP), astatus quo analysis of current care practice is required. To what extent does the utilization of medical services by PwP differ a)between urban and rural areas in Saxony and b)between PwP with and without neurologist contact in the observation period from 2011 to 2019? The cohort study was based on extensive routine data for Saxony from the health insurance company AOK PLUS from 2010 to 2019. Acohort of 15,744 PwP (n = 67,448patient-years) was compared to amatched cohort (n = 674,480patient-years; criteria: year of birth, gender, year of insurance, place of residence: urban/rural) without an ICD-10 coding of amovement disorder. Overall, there was asteady increase in the number of PwP in the dynamic cohort from 2011 (n = 6829) to 2019 (n = 8254). Urban-rural differences included asmaller proportion of patients being seen by aneurologist in rural areas. The PwP had a3.5 to 4‑fold higher risk of dying compared to those in the comparison cohort. Changes in drug therapy for Parkinson's disease (i.e., increases in COMT and MAO inhibitors) and in remedy delivery (i.e., increases in occupational therapy and speech therapy) over the observation period were primarily seen in PwP who were seen by aneurologist. The study identified increased morbidity and mortality in PwP who are suitable targets for innovative care concepts. The increasing number of patients and the described differences document the need for this. At the same time, changes in prescription practice show that innovative forms of treatment are being used by neurologists in outpatient care.

ОЦЕНКА СОВРЕМЕННОГО СОСТОЯНИЯ СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО И ДЕМОГРАФИЧЕСКОГО РАЗВИТИЯ СЕЛЬСКИХ ТЕРРИТОРИЙ РЕГИОНА

In the context of the deteriorating demographic situation, both in Russia as a whole and in most regions, the ratio of fertility, mortality and migration processes causes a decrease in the population, especially in rural areas. In almost all regions of the Volga region from 2014 to 2018. there was a decrease in the share of the rural population in the total number. In the Saratov region, this figure ranged from 24.8 to 24.1%. The increase in natural and mechanical outflows led to a decrease in the number of villagers by 5.8%, the migration outflow ranged from -3.72 to -11.2‰. Life expectancy during this time increased, but for the rural population it is 1.5–2 years less. A negative consequence of demographic changes is a reduction in the number of labor resources and an increase in the demographic burden on the working-age population. The pension burden on the able-bodied population increased to 15%. The average monthly wage in the region as a whole for this period increased by 21.9%, for workers of agricultural organizations – by 34.9%, but its level is 1.5 times lower than the average regional indicator. The number of schools in the region decreased by 24 units, which is associated with the optimization of general education organizations, and the number of places in kindergartens practically does not change and even indicates the understaffing of institutions. A survey conducted to assess the opinion of the population on socio-economic and demographic development showed that the majority of respondents choose the city as the desired permanent place of residence, but 68% of respondents said that migration inflows to the countryside were necessary. As a result of the identified trends, the main priority of demographic development for the rural areas of the region should be: stabilization and gradual increase in the population, by reducing migration outflows, reducing mortality rates, increasing fertility rates, as well as the duration and quality of life of rural residents.

Health promotion in enterprises counteracting the consequences of workforce ageing. How does it differ from interventions in other companies and what kind of barriers does it face?

The aim of the article is to address the question of whether companies implementing personnel's health promotion to counteract the consequences of workforce ageing differ in their health-related activities from enterprises not having such a motivation. The analyzed differences concern the frequency of implementing and evaluating selected health promotion interventions, assessing employees' health needs and expectations, managers' interest in population ageing, and other motives of health promotion implementation. Moreover, obstacles to health promotion in the context of ageing are analyzed. Directions of supporting enterprises in diminishing the consequences of this demographic process via health promotion are recommended. Quantitative analysis: standardized computer-assisted personal interviews with representatives of management boards (October- November 2017). Sample: 940 companies from Poland implementing health promotion activities (including 424 organizations willing przedsięwzięto counteract the consequences of workforce ageing), selected from a representative sample of 1000 enterprises employing ≥50 people. Qualitative analysis: focus groups interviews (FGIs) with employers concerning their attitudes to managing personnel's health in the context of population ageing (March 2017). Sample: 64 respondents in 8 FGIs. Companies promoting employees' health to diminish the consequences of workforce ageing more often implement and evaluate most workplace health-related activities, and provide more reasons for promoting personnel's health. Their managers are more often interested in the issue of demographic changes, and they less frequently complain about the obstacles of health promotion implementation. Major obstacles are employers' reluctance or impossibility to pay for health promotion, low managers' awareness/know-how concerning health promotion, insufficient human and infrastructure resources, unfavorable employees' attitudes, and disadvantageous legal/fiscal issues. Companies' willingness to counteract implications of personnel's ageing is conducive to their engagement in health promotion. The dissemination/intensification of workplace health-oriented activities, which fosters minimizing the consequences of demographic changes, requires increasing employers' interest in the issue of population ageing and health promotion as a tool of coping with this problem, facilitating gaining the knowledge of workplace health promotion management by companies' representatives, and diminishing legislative/fiscal barriers to the implementation of workplace health-related activities. Med Pr. 2020;71(3):289-307.

Health promotion in medium-sized and large enterprises in Poland, in the context of population ageing. The specificity of workplaces with a different size of employment and financial situation

Demographic projections indicate an inevitable intensification of the population ageing process. This situation causes significant challenges for employers due to the shrinking and ageing of the workforce. Workplace health promotion, adjusted to the needs and expectations of employees in different age groups, is one of the tools of preventing and minimizing the consequences of this demographic process. In Poland there is a lack of research showing employers' attitudes towards the demographic crisis, health promotion as a way of coping with the implications of ageing or the implementation of health promotion tailored to the specificity of younger and older employees. In addition, there is hardly any information on whether these issues are differentiated by the size and financial situation of enterprises. Therefore, the paper is aimed at filling in these knowledge gaps. A national representative study of 1000 companies employing ≥50 people was conducted (October-November 2017), in a form of standardized computer-assisted personal interviews. There is a low awareness of the discussed demographic process (8% of the enterprises surveyed declare experiencing its consequences). Most organizations do not prepare themselves for facing the future challenges of ageing (only one-fifth discuss this topic during management meetings), nor do they respond to the first symptoms of this process (only one-fourth react to the observed consequences of demographic changes, and every second organization tends to finish its cooperation with employees once they attain the retirement age). Although half of the respondents believe in the effectiveness of health promotion in coping with the consequences of the ageing process, in reality the capability of these activities is not harnessed (few companies are interested in the diverse health needs and expectations of employees in different age groups, and in adjusting health promotion activities to these needs and expectations). The size and financial situation do not differentiate many issues analyzed in the study. It is necessary to make employers aware of the inevitability of population ageing and its implications for enterprises, shaping their skills in effective preventive/remedial actions (including health promotion) and supporting them in such implementations. Med Pr. 2020;71(1):17-31.

A new stage of demographic change: A warning for economists

The current stage of demographic changes in all countries that have experienced a demographic transition is characterized by two main features: (1) cessation of population growth; (2) a progressive increase in the total dependency ratio, which until recently, despite the long-run population ageing, was declining. Both of these features are unfavorable from the economic point of view. In Russia, the situation is aggravated by the peculiarities of the population pyramid, heavily deformed by the social and military upheavals of the 20th century. The article shows that, for a long time, the demographic trends in Russia favored its economic development, but now the country is entering a long period of unfavorable demographic changes. The cessation of growth of the Russian population, the reduction in the working-age population and its ageing and the increase in the dependency ratio will have a deterrent effect on economic development and, at the same time, make it more difficult to solve social problems. In particular, these factors will create greater problems for the pension system for people older than working age. The issue of using the migration resource to mitigate the negative consequences of demographic changes is discussed.

Demographic brakes of the economy

The article examines the features of the newest stage of the demographic evolution of Russia against the backdrop of other countries at similar stages of the demographic transition. It is shown that until recently long-term demographic trends favored Russia’s economic development, but now the country is entering a long period of unfavorable demographic changes for its economy. The cessation of growth of the Russian population, the reduction in the working-age population and its aging, and the increase in the dependency ratio will have a deterrent effect on economic development and at the same time make it more difficult to solve social problems. In particular, these factors will create greater problems for the pension system for people older than working age. The issue of using the migration resource to mitigate the negative consequences of demographic changes is discussed.

Społeczne budownictwo mieszkaniowe wobec starzenia się polskiego społeczeństwa

W artykule omówiono konsekwencje zachodzących zmian demograficznych wpływających na potrzeby mieszkaniowe osób starych. Prognozy demograficzne wskazują, że w najbliższych dekadach znacznie wzrośnie liczba osób starszych, szczególnie z kategorii tzw. starości, czyli w wieku 85 i więcej lat. Z uwagi na ograniczoną liczbę miejsc w domach pomocy społecznej, mieszkaniach chronionych i wspomaganych należy poszukiwać nowych rozwiązań w celu zapewnienia lokalu mieszkalnego seniorom. Potrzeby osób starszych w zakresie mieszkalnictwa są zróżnicowane z uwagi na sytuację ekonomiczną, społeczną, psychologiczną, biologiczną, a w szczególności ze względu na stopień samodzielności. Doniosłość kwestii starzenia się społeczeństwa i znaczenia mieszkania w życiu każdego człowieka sprawia, że autorzy uznają, że należy poszukiwać nowych rozwiązań w tym zakresie. Społeczne budownictwo mieszkaniowe jako specyficzny segment budownictwa mieszkaniowego może stanowić potencjał, który można wykorzystać do rozwiązania narastających problemów. Biorąc pod uwagę niższe koszty na poziomie inwestycji i użytkowania mieszkań z tego sektora, mogą one uzupełnić system budownictwa senioralnego i jednocześnie zmniejszać deficyt ilościowy i jakościowy mieszkań senioralnych. Część informacji zawartych w artykule pochodzi z badań realizowanych przez dr Zuzannę Rataj w ramach projektu pt. „Społeczne budownictwo mieszkaniowe i jego rola w zaspokajaniu potrzeb mieszkaniowych niezamożnych gospodarstw domowych w Polsce” finansowanego ze środków Narodowego Centrum Nauki (2014/13/N/HS4/02100).

Identification of hospitalized elderly patients at risk for adverse in-hospital outcomes in a university orthopedics and trauma surgery environment.

BackgroundAs a consequence of demographic changes, hospitals are confronted with increasing numbers of elderly patients, who are at high risk of adverse events during hospitalization. Geriatric risk screening followed by comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and treatment has been requested by geriatric societies and task forces to identify patients at risk. Since empirical evidence on factors predisposing to adverse hospital events is scarce, we now prospectively evaluated implications of geriatric risk screening followed by CGA in a university hospital department of orthopedics and trauma surgery.MethodsThree hundred and eighty-one patients ≥75 years admitted to the Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery of the University Hospital Essen received Identification of Seniors at Risk (ISAR) Screening followed by CGA via a geriatric liaison service in case of positive screening results. Associations between ISAR, CGA, comorbid risk factors and diseases, length of hospital stay, number of nursing and physiotherapy hours, and falls during hospital stay were analyzed.ResultsOf 381 ISAR screenings, 327 (85.8%) were positive, confirming a high percentage of patients at risk of adverse events. Of these, 300 CGAs revealed 82.7% abnormal results, indicating activities of daily living impairment combined with cognitive, emotional or mobility disturbances. Abnormal CGA resulted in a longer hospital stay (14.0±10.3 days in ISAR+/CGA abnormal compared with 7.6±7.0 days in ISAR+/CGA normal and 8.1±5.4 days in ISAR-, both p<0.001), increased nursing hours (3.4±1.1 hours/day in ISAR+/CGA abnormal compared with 2.5±1.0 hours/day in ISAR+/CGA normal and 2.2±0.8 hours/day in ISAR-, both p<0.001), and increased falls (7.3% in ISAR+/CGA abnormal, 0% in ISAR+/CGA normal, 1.9% in ISAR-). Physiotherapy hours were only significantly increased in ISAR+/CGA abnormal (3.0±2.7 hours) compared with in ISAR+/CGA normal (1.6±1.4 hours, p<0.001) whereas the comparison with ISAR- (2.4±2.4 hours) did not reach significance (p = 0.368). In multivariable regressions, the CGA domains activities of daily living impairment (assessed by Barthel-Index) and signs of depression (assessed by geriatric depression scale) predicted longer length of hospital stay. High ISAR score, and impairment in activities of daily living and cognition (assessed by mini-mental state examination and clock-drawing test) predicted increased nursing hours, and impairment in activities of daily living and mobility predicted increased physiotherapy hours.ConclusionsAn abnormal geriatric screening and assessment is associated with longer hospital stay, more nursing and physiotherapy hours, and more falls.

Population Aging, Labor Demand, and the Structure of Wages

One consequence of demographic change is substantial shifts in the age distribution of the working-age population. As the baby boom generation ages, the usual historical pattern of there being a high ratio of younger workers relative to older workers has been replaced by a pattern of there being roughly equal percentages of workers of different ages. One might expect that the increasing relative supply of older workers would lower the wage premium paid for older, more experienced workers. This paper provides strong empirical support for this hypothesis. Econometric estimates imply that the size of one’s birth cohort affects wages throughout one’s working life, with members of relatively large cohorts (at all stages of their careers) earning a significantly lower wage than members of smaller cohorts. Estimated elasticities of wages with respect to the relative size of one’s own cohort are generally between −0.05 and −0.10, and are of similar magnitude for men and for women. Our results suggest that cohort size effects are quantitatively important and should be incorporated into public policy analyses.

Assessing agreement between preclinical magnetic resonance imaging and histology: An evaluation of their image qualities and quantitative results.

One consequence of demographic change is the increasing demand for biocompatible materials for use in implants and prostheses. This is accompanied by a growing number of experimental animals because the interactions between new biomaterials and its host tissue have to be investigated. To evaluate novel materials and engineered tissues the use of non-destructive imaging modalities have been identified as a strategic priority. This provides the opportunity for studying interactions repeatedly with individual animals, along with the advantages of reduced biological variability and decreased number of laboratory animals. However, histological techniques are still the golden standard in preclinical biomaterial research. The present article demonstrates a detailed method comparison between histology and magnetic resonance imaging. This includes the presentation of their image qualities as well as the detailed statistical analysis for assessing agreement between quantitative measures. Exemplarily, the bony ingrowth of tissue engineered bone substitutes for treatment of a cleft-like maxillary bone defect has been evaluated. By using a graphical concordance analysis the mean difference between MRI results and histomorphometrical measures has been examined. The analysis revealed a slightly but significant bias in the case of the bone volume and a clearly significant deviation for the remaining defect width But the study although showed a considerable effect of the analyzed section position to the quantitative result. It could be proven, that the bias of the data sets was less originated due to the imaging modalities, but mainly on the evaluation of different slice positions. The article demonstrated that method comparisons not always need the use of an independent animal study, additionally.

Octogenarians in the catheterization laboratory.

The number of octogenarians undergoing percutaneous procedures has increased in the past years as a consequence of demographic changes. According to data 25% of all percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) are performed in patients over the age of 75 and 12% in those aged over 80 years. There is not only a higher incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), but also an increase of patients with stable angina and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedures. The elderly have more comorbidities, multivessel disease, complex lesions and therefore a higher incidence of post procedural complications. 1,2 We present an overview of percutaneous interventions in octogenarians preformed in our catheterization laboratory from 2011 until 2015. The aim was to investigate indications, procedure success, periprocedural complications, intrahospital mortality and 1 year survival rate. There were 762 patients, 417 (55%) male and 345 (45%) female. The majority of patients 448 (58.8%) had an ACS; ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (149 or 19.5%); non ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction + unstable angina pectoris (275 or 36 %) and cardiogenic shock or arrest (24 or 3.1%). Stable angina was the indication in 143 (18.7%) patients and elective PCI in 40 (5.2%) patients. There is an increase for valvular disease evaluation from 5.6% in 2011 to 16.5% in 2015. The majority of patients had 3-vessel disease 255 (33.0%) and 170 (22.3%) had previous PCI or coronary artery bypass grafting. Overall 380 (49.8%) patients were treated (362 PCI, 18 TAVI). The success rate was 87% and the complication rate 5.1%. Intrahospital mortality was 13.7% in the PCI group and 5.2 % in the non-PCI group. A total of 495 (65%) patients had a follow-up period of one year, 386 (50.6%) were alive (171 PCI, 251 non-PCI). In conclusion, the number of octogenarians in our catheterization laboratory is increasing. Although data from registries suggest that they appear to benefit in terms of quality of life after PCI, a careful approach to patient selection is essential to get the best outcomes.

Value of Age Diversity – Declarations and Practice in Polish Organizations

The present article relates to management of age diverse teams in organisations and enterprises located in Poland. Managing diversity is an active and conscious process leading not only to a lack of discriminatory conduct but above all to making full use of the potential of the team. The potential resulting from the diversity of knowledge, skills and experience. The diversity of the age of the team members is in fact a differentiation of this exact type, which in addition allows for not only using but also transferring unique competences and rich experience. Past studies promoting age diversity management often emphasized the need to implement such solutions due to ‘demographic coercion’. Without denying the consequences of demographic changes, the present study focuses not on necessity (weak age management practices) but on the possibility to use the diversity of the team to achieve the goals of the organization (strong age management practices). The need for such research is often emphasized in the literature (Kunze, Boehm and Bruch, 2011, 2013; Bieling, Stock and Dorozalla, 2015) The main aim of the study presented in this article was to examine the awareness of the value of age diversity among the human resources management professionals employed by enterprises and organizations located in Poland, as well as to confront it with the actual activities related to management of age diverse teams in these organizations. The test results indicate that, while most respondents declare their awareness of the value of age diverse teams, they are definitely less likely to implement actual activities related to the management of such teams. It can therefore be concluded that the most common form of management in this area is weak age diversity management practice characterized by only fulfilling legal requirements related to non-discrimination. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ss.89.3.13670

Landnutzungswandel durch demographischen Wandel? Evidenzen und Schlussfolgerungen

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Demographic change is often mentioned as one main driver for land use change. Since the 1970s, experts of spatial planning discuss consequences of demographic change. Currently, the topic is of importance in societal debates, too. However, does demographic change really directly influence land use change? As yet, comprehensive models of land use change are missing that describe the consequences of demographic change on land use in par- ticular; mainly partial models exist up to now. Thus, this paper contributes to the questions if there is any empirical evidence for direct relations between demographic change and land use change and what consequences this has for spatial research and spatial development policies. For an- swering these questions, we conducted a comprehensive literature analysis for the period from 2005 to 2013 with regard to the German discourse and discussed the results at two expert workshops. The analysis shows a lack of refer- ences that provide evidence for a direct influence of demo- graphic change on land use. This is in particular significant for the following types of land use: agriculture, forestry, tourism, and nature protection. Also indirect cause effect relations cannot be proved fully due to the lack of empiri- cism. Consequently, serious uncertainties exist regarding the effectiveness of spatial planning and spatial develop- ment approaches within this context.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Quality of demographic data in GGS Wave 1

AbstractBACKGROUNDA key feature of the Generations & Gender Programme (GGP) is that longitudinal micro-data from the Generations and Gender Surveys (GGS) can be combined with indicators from the Contextual Database (CDB) that provide information on the macro-level context in which people live. This allows researchers to consider the impact of socio-cultural, economic, and policy contexts on changing demographic behaviour since the 1970s. The validity of longitudinal analyses combining individual-level and contextual data depends, however, on whether the micro-data give a correct account of demographic trends after 1970.OBJECTIVEThis article provides information on the quality of retrospective longitudinal data on first marriage and fertility in the first wave of the GGS.METHODSUsing the union and fertility histories recorded in the GGS, we compare period indicators of women's nuptiality and fertility behaviour for the period 1970-2005 and cohort indicators of nuptiality and fertility for women born after 1925 to population statistics.RESULTSResults suggest that, in general, period indicators estimated retrospectively from the GGS are fairly accurate from the 1970s onwards, allowing exceptions for specific indicators in specific countries. Cohort indicators, however, were found to be less accurate for cohorts born before 1945, suggesting caution when using the GGS to study patterns of union and family formation in these older cohorts.CONCLUSIONSThe assessment of the validity of demographic data in the GGS provides country-specific information on time periods and birth cohorts for which GGS estimates deviate from population statistics. Researchers may use this information to decide on the observation period or cohorts to include in their analysis, or use the results as a starting point for a more detailed analysis of item nonresponse in union and fertility histories, which may further improve the quality of GGS estimates, particularly for these earlier periods and older birth cohorts.COMMENTSDetailed country-specific results are included in an appendix to this paper, available for download from the additional material section.(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)1. IntroductionIn 2000 the Population Activity Unit (PAU) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) launched the Generations and Gender Programme (GGP) to enhance understanding of the causes and consequences of demographic change in developed countries (Vikat et al. 2007). International comparability is a key feature of the GGP and several, mainly European, countries have become highly committed to the implementation of the programme. The GGP consists of two pillars. The first pillar is a set of Generations and Gender Surveys (GGS)5. The GGS is a panel survey that collects longitudinal micro-level data on a representative sample of noninstitutionalized residents aged 18 to 79 years in each of the participating countries. The first wave of the GGS collects detailed data on partnership histories and (non-)resident children, making it possible to reconstruct changes in union formation and fertility in recent decades and link these to covariates at the individual, household, and contextual levels. To overcome the limitations associated with the retrospective design of the Fertility and Family Surveys (FFS) - the immediate predecessor of the GGP - the GGS combines elements of a retrospective setup with a prospective panel design (Vikat et al. 2007). The prospective design makes it possible to assess the impact of characteristics recorded in each wave (e.g., values and intentions) on subsequent behaviours, thus contributing to an enhanced understanding of the dynamic nature of demographic behaviour and the life-course. The Contextual Database (CDB)6 (see the contribution of Caporali et al. in this special volume) is the second main pillar of the GGP and provides aggregate indicators at the meso (regional) and macro (national) levels. …

Impact of demographic changes on agricultural development in Montenegro

Number of citizens in a country represents its primary production potential. Montenegro has signifcant natural resources for rural development. However, many problems follow rural development, and one of those problems is the demographic problem. The paper analyzes demographic changes in Montenegro by its regions, as well as gender and age structure of the population in the period 1948-2011. Statistical methods (tabular views, percentage accounts, base and chain indexes and graphs) are used in the preparation of the paper. They are used as “desk research” method and method of comparison. The aim of the paper is to highlight the trend of demographic changes and their impact on the development of agriculture in Montenegro, in the period 1948-2011. The obtained results indicate negative consequences of demographic changes (population and deagrarisation), as well as the reduction of the agricultural population. They have also influenced the decrease of agricultural production and the formation of unfavourable environment for its improvement. One of the greatest consequences of deagrarisation is the lack of manpower. Montenegrin agriculture is characterized by the aging of the rural population and signifcantly lower average level of education.