4th APRU Research Symposium on Gerontology "Productive Aging: Creating a Dynamic and Participatory Aging Society in Asia” October 28-29, 2011, Shanghai, China Fudan University Introduction and Objectives The State Innovative Institute for Public Management and Policy Studies (SIIPMPS), School of Social Development and Public Policy (SSDPP) and Institute of Population Research (IPR) at Fudan University are issuing the first call for papers for the 4th APRU Research Symposium on Gerontology - “Productive Aging: Creating a Dynamic and Participatory Aging Society in Asia”. Four in the gerontology research symposium series badged by the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), the symposium welcome participants from all disciplines related to aging such population studies, sociology, finance, public health, aging studies, medicine, public management and policies. The symposium is open to scholars, particularly junior researchers, in the related disciplines and is not limited to participants from Asia and the Pacific Rim. Fudan University is proud to host the 5th APRU research symposium on gerontology from October 28 to 29 in 2011 in Shanghai, China. We hope to develop a network on aging studies which is sustainable in the long run. About the Symposium Theme Societies face challenges such as greater social dependency ratios, potential losses in economic competitiveness and increased pressure on social welfare system in the face of aging demographics. In recent decades, however, more positive perspectives such as a shift of focus in helping the elderly age more actively and successfully have been incorporated into research and the formulation of aging policies. Scholars like Butler proposed the concept of Productive Aging in the 1980s which was later expanded and worked on by Scott Bass and Franscis Caro (1996) who came up with an analytical framework for productive aging. Such perspectives are worthy of further examination and discussed in relation to promoting economic competitiveness and societal development in the face of global aging trends, particularly in Asia and the Pacific Rim, where most of the economies are experiencing rapid economic growth. There are several key perspectives as to how the elderly can contribute to the development of societies, in both the social as well as economic dimension. Firstly, with the gradual increase in life expectancy where people can live up to 80 or even 90 years old, retirement policies with the age of 60 are no longer practical as the elderly population is able to continue contributing to the economy in today’s context. Secondly, with globalization and in the era of information technology, age is no longer as big a contributing factor towards the society’s economic development as compared to days when productivity and economic growth are more closely linked to physical ability and mobility. With their wide breadth of knowledge, skills and work experience, the elderly can contribute effectively to the growth of an economy. Thirdly, old age does not necessarily equate to isolation from the society. The elderly can increase their self-worth through economic and social participation, thereby creating wealth and promoting public welfare for the society. All of these perspectives are based on the premise of a sustainable and productive aging society. A productive aging society is necessary in maintaining economic competitiveness and raising labor productivity. Besides having economic implications, an aging society will also mean that adjustments would have to be made to other components in the societal infrastructure such as urban planning, social reform and social security, and the provision of health and social services. The importance of education and training, health promotion, social participation and security, will have to be underscored in the building of a productive social welfare system. Aging productively is the way to achieving sustainable socioeconomic development for economies which are experiencing rapid economic development in Asia and the Pacific Rim. Call for Papers The theme of this symposium is productive aging. The symposium will revolve around the building of a dynamic and participatory aging society as well as the construction of a productive social welfare system. Submitted papers could focus on (but not limited to) the following aspects: · Concept and theoretic framework of productive aging; · Multi-disciplinary research on productive aging; · Relationship between aging and mode of economic development; · The aging industry and market potential of aging; · Gerontology, diseases and health; · Education and training on improving the productive capabilities of the elderly; · Information and technology; · Renewing the concept of old age and retirement; · Value of the aged and their contribution to human capital; · Case studies on practices and policies on productive aging society in different countries; · Social organization and social participation; and · Productive social welfare system for the aging society. Important Dates to Note · Submission deadline for abstracts (word limit of 500): April 30th, 2011 · Registration commences: May 1st , 2011 · Submission deadline for papers and posters for poster session: September 15th, 2011 · Date of conference: October28th to 29th, 2011 Registration Fees No registration fee will be collected for this symposium. Participants should, however, cover their own travel and accommodation expenses. Travel grants are available for a small selected number of participants, particularly PhD students, post-doctoral fellowships and junior scholars from developing countries, to attend the conference. Participants interested in applying for the travel grants should submit their abstracts (or papers) together with the travel subsidy form (attached as Annex 1) to the conference organizers by April 30th, 2011. The organizing committee will select the awardees based on their background and submitted abstracts/papers. Publication of Papers The conference organizers intend to publish selected papers intoa symposium anthology. Subject to reviews and editing, the anthology is expected to be published in August 2012. Authors of the selected papers must be contactable by e-mail after the conference and be willing to edit their manuscript for the publication. Contact Information Contact email: apruaging2011@gmail.com. For enquiries, please contact the symposium secretaries: · FANG Liqiang School of Social Development and Public Policy, Fudan University Tel: +86-21-65643051 · TAO Li School of Social Development and Public Policy, Fudan University Tel: +86-21-55073359  Travel Grant Application Form.docx | 