Leader: Vincenzo Galasso (BOCCONI)
Population ageing has complex political consequences. Individuals’ preferences over policies may change, for instance higher expected longevity induces more demand of pensions and long-term care. Aging challenges the economic sustainability of these intergenerational welfare state programs, but increases the relative political power of their main supporters, the elderly, potentially leading to an “aging trap.” We analyze the determinants of age-based political conflict: the cleavage in the political demand of intergenerational policies by elderly and young, which has been made more salient by events, such as the pandemic and global warming; and the political supply of different policy position and information by traditional and populist parties. We use survey and observational data as well as text analysis to evaluate this age-based political conflict. We exploit laboratory and survey experiments to analyze the role of information in affecting preferences on intergenerational policies.