Conference Description:

“Economics of long-term and informal care”

The main theme of this workshop is long-term and informal care. As populations age, the demand for long-term care services (such as nursing services, personal care, and domestic tasks) is expected to continue rising. It is recognised that such services are essential to the welfare of many older people. Most long-term care for the elderly is currently provided by informal carers, often family members. Such caregivers face many challenges, including balancing family and employment with their caregiving responsibilities.

Long-term care is also delivered by formal services, including residential care homes and home-based care such as community nursing and home-help services. In many countries, there are concerns about how much long-term care expenditure will need to rise to meet the needs of an increasing older population, mirroring the similar concerns about future expenditure on pensions and health care.

Discuss topics:

- Changes in the demand for long-term care
- Healthcare expenditures associated with long-term care
- Funding systems (including international comparisons)
- The consequences of informal care on caregivers (e.g., health and employment)
- Policies to cope with the increasing demand for long-term care
- Supply of long-term care and the role of migration
- Effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on long-term and informal care

Although the workshop will have a main track on long-term and informal care, we also invite papers on any topic in the field of the economics of ageing.


Submission for the workshop

Interested authors are invited to submit a full paper or at least a 1-page extended abstract by April 30, 2021 to Alfonso Sousa-Poza ([email protected]). The authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by the end of May 2021 and completed draft papers will then be expected by the end of September 2021. Authors of accepted papers will be expected to register for the workshop by June 11, 2021.


A selection of the papers presented at the workshop will (assuming successful completion of the review process) be published in a special issue of the Journal of the Economics of Ageing (https://www.journals.elsevier.com/the-j ournal-of-the-economics-of-ageing/).


Best paper award for young scientists

The best paper submitted and presented by an author below the age of 35 will receive a best paper award of 500 Euros. If a co-author of the paper does not fulfil the age requirement, then the nominee for the prize must at least be the lead author. Please indicate in your submission whether you want to be considered for the award and state the date of birth of the authors of the submitted paper.