The demographic and societal structures in southern and eastern Mediterranean countries are expected to undergo profound transformations in the future, calling for new public policies related to employment, human capital and mobility. In addition, the population projections of the MEDPRO project until 2030 have pointed to an increase in working-age populations. Against this background, the authors suggest policies to address challenges in education, inequality, social protection and migration.

This report assesses the current status of the education and social protection systems in 11 southern and eastern Mediterranean countries. It compares these countries using various education indicators and attempts to highlight the main differences in the social protection systems among the countries using qualitative analysis.

This report evaluates the performance of long-term care (LTC) systems in Europe, with a special emphasis on four countries that were selected in Work Package 1 of the ANCIEN project as representative of different LTC systems: Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Poland. Based on a performance framework, we use the following four core criteria for the evaluation: the quality of life of LTC users, the quality of care, equity of LTC systems and the total burden of LTC (consisting of the financial burden and the burden of informal caregiving).

This paper investigates the relationship between female labour force participation rates and economic growth in southern Mediterranean countries. A two-step methodology involving econometric estimations and the use of a general equilibrium model was used for this purpose.

The econometric estimations suggest that there is a U-shaped relationship between economic growth and female labour force participation rates and they indicate the presence of region-specific barriers impeding women's entry into the labour force in southern Mediterranean countries.

Measuring human capital has been a significant challenge for economists because the main variable of interest is intangible and not directly observable. In the Middle Eastern and Northern African region the task is further complicated by the general scarcity of comparable and reliable data.

This report provides a forecast of the potential direct and indirect influences of various kinds of technologies on the LTC milieu, answering the following question: from a technology-driven perspective: “Consider each technological solution.

EDITORS: Joanna Geerts is researcher and Peter Willemé is health economist in the Social Security Research Group at the Federal Planning Bureau (FPB), Esther Mot is senior researcher in the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB). Chapters are written by Joanna Geerts, Peter Willemé, Linda Pickard, Derek King, Adelina Comas-Herrera, Jérôme Wittwer, Andreas Golz, Ester Mot, Erika Schultz, Agnieszka Sowa and Raquel Vegas.

Projections of use and supply of formal and informal care carried out in Work Package 6 of the ANCIEN project show that if current patterns of care use and supply prevail, supply of care is likely to fall behind demand. This paper discusses the key policy implications of these findings.

This study reports on the quality indicators that were collected by the ANCIEN project partners in each country considered in Work Package 5 (Quality in Long-Term Care).

Work Package 2 of the ANCIEN project assesses the future numbers of care-dependent elderly in four selected countries: Spain, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands. The estimates are consistent with the available disability data and the mortality forecasts of the EUROPOP 2008 scenarios. The results show the effects of  assumptions about how old age disability and mortality are related, and assess the effects of smoking and BMI.

This paper describes the quality assurance system for long-term care services in Latvia. Policy planning for long-term care is undertaken by the Ministry of Welfare and the municipalities. Monitoring takes place at three levels: by the ministry, the municipalities and social service providers themselves. The legislation sets out requirements for social service providers and the evaluation of quality standards against a few criteria.

New technologies may have a beneficial impact on long-term care (LTC) systems by improving the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of LTC provision, and even by decreasing the need for LTC in the first place. Given the great uncertainty about the diffusion and implementation of available technology, there is little point in trying to make quantitative forecasts about the impact of technology. A more useful approach is to study the mechanisms through which technology can have an impact on LTC. This is the subject of Work Package 4 of the ANCIEN project.

In Germany, quality assurance has enjoyed an important role in long-term care since the Act on Long-Term Care Insurance was introduced in 1995. The Act distinguishes three dimensions of quality, namely quality of the structure, the process and the outcome. Quality assurance is regulated by law at the national level and is differentiated into internal and external quality-assurance measures. The operators of care facilities have to ensure an appropriate level of quality in their services, facilities, staff and equipment.

This Working Document looks at which OECD countries deliberately attempt to reproduce social stratification through educational policies, and which countries put greater emphasis on intervening in the stratification process.

The research findings challenge a one-policy-fits-all approach that advocates education policy reforms designed to increase equal opportunities in education. The authors argue that the context of each country needs to be considered before the implementation of such policies.