Research:Active Aging, citizenship & participation

Contact

Institute of Government & public policies. Autonomous University of Barcelona

This page documents a research project in progress.
Information may be incomplete and change as the project progresses.
Please contact the project lead before formally citing or reusing results from this page.

Key Personnel

Mayo Fuster Morell of Institute of Government & public policies (Autonomous University of Barcelona) and Amical Viquipedia.
Joan Subirats Humet of Institute of Government & public policies (Autonomous University of Barcelona) and Amical Viquipedia.
Joan Pallares of Amical Viquipedia.
Joan Goma of Amical Viquipedia.

Project Summary

This research project aims to analyze the participation of older people in the process of elaboration and implementation of public policies to promote active aging. An analysis of the active aging though technologies of information and communication, and Wikimedia projects specifically, will be developed.

Abstract of the whole project: The impressing social, economic and cultural changes experienced in the first years of the 21st century are transforming the basic operating features of the Spanish society and calling into many question of the public policies and action programs, as well as the conceptual approaches and paradigms used in many fields. The issue of population aging is obviously not alien to this great transformation. In this new era we find innovative forms of production, relating and living that blurr the boundaries between age and life cycles, so that aging seems to be a time of opportunity in life paths increasingly diverse. Older people have better chances to decide over their way of life, as social changes are contributing to the creation of greater autonomy, opportunity and choice particularly for the generation that goes into its sixth decade of life. The new age is asking for new approaches that enable the design and implementation of public policies that incorporate the capacity for autonomy, diversity and equality of persons (considered as values and principles of full citizenship) in all stages of life and all ages. Public policies aimed at older people should be able to meet these new challenges, incorporating in decision-making the people, groups and individuals involved in them. Required are new paradigms that underpin interventions and public policies around the concept of older people as active subjects and, therefore, improve our ability to adapt to the challenges that characterize this new age

Methods

This is a very large project using multi-methods. The methods related to Wikipedia are Wiki workshops with associations of older people in Spain.

Dissemination

Project website
Academic publications
Presentation of academic and free culture movement events

Wikimedia Policies, Ethics, and Human Subjects Protection

Benefits for the Wikimedia community

To asses the use of ICTs by older population.
To asses the use and perception of Wikipedia by older population.
To identified ways in which to "activate" older people in Wikimedia projects
To asses how Wikimedia projects could engage with older people.

Timeline

Funding

CSIC Foundation (Call Zero project) Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas)

References

External links

Presentation of the project at Amical Viquipedia wiki: http://www.viquimedia.cat/viqui/Projecte_coneixement_lliure_IGOP_MIT_Berkman_Center
IGOP - UAB website: http://igop.uab.cat

Contacts

Mayo Fuster Morell mayo.fuster(at)eui.eu --Lilaroja (talk) 22:18, 18 November 2012 (UTC)