Growing Understanding
Civilizational Intelligence: Introducing a New Framework for Understanding Collective Memory and Societal Development
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Daniel Foroughi
This paper introduces the concept of “civilizational intelligence,” a framework designed to understand the collective memory, cultural behaviors, and adaptive strategies accumulated by societies over millennia. Civilizations such as the Persians, Chinese, Greeks, Egyptians, and Mesopotamians have created a reservoir of knowledge that has been passed down through generations, profoundly influencing modern societal structures, values, and behaviors. Civilizational intelligence represents the wisdom embedded in traditions, social systems, governance models, and cultural values, shaping both individual actions and collective societal norms. By examining the long-lasting impact of ancient civilizations, this paper provides a new perspective on how historical legacies continue to inform contemporary global interactions and the development of societies today.
Optimizing National Tax Policies to Consider the Special Needs of Elderly Citizens
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Aj Stagliano
Taxation policies that consider the special case of senior citizens must take into account the unique financial needs of this growing population segment. This is particularly important with regard to income, healthcare, and housing costs. An optimal tax policy that is focused and deliberate in respecting senior citizens’ special circumstances will strike a balance between generating necessary government revenue and ensuring the financial well-being of older adults. Furthermore, intergenerational equity among different age cohort groups within the whole population of taxpayers requires attention. Senior citizens, as a class, have distinctive financial challenges, including reduced post-retirement income, increased healthcare costs, and reliance on pensions and government-sponsored old-age benefits. Crafting tax policies that address these factors requires a nuanced approach that considers equity, efficiency, and economic sustainability. By implementing progressive tax structures, providing exemptions for retirement income, offering healthcare-related tax credits, and ensuring fair property tax policies, governments can support the financial security of older adults. Additionally, tax policies in place should encourage long-term retirement savings far in advance of citizens reaching the end of their normal working years. Optimizing tax policies can promote both the well-being of senior citizens and sustainability of public finances.
OECD Better Life Index: How Can Countries Be Ranked Using the I-distance Method? View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Milica Maričić, Veljko Jeremic, Natalija Miric
The Better Life Index (BLI) is a composite index published by the OECD since 2011. The aim of this study is to provide an alternative ranking of the 38 OECD countries using the 2024 data. The BLI does not have one unified weighting scheme, whereas the index users can decide on the indicator categories’ importance. The index comprises 34 indicators divided into 11 categories. To assess the BLI, the I-distance method was applied. The first step in the analysis was data imputation as multiple data were missing. The data was imputed using the mean and the median, based on the normality test results. The two-fold I-distance was applied: first, on the indicator level within categories and second, on the category level. On the indicator level, the results show that the indicators are not always equally important. For example, within category Housing, indicator Dwellings without basic facilities is the least important. Applying the I-distance on the formed categories provided insights into the importance of categories for the ranking process. Categories Life satisfaction and Health contribute the most to ranking process. Luxembourg leads the ranks with 64.680 points, followed by New Zealand and Switzerland. The results show how BLI data can be used to rank countries and provide insights into the importance of specific aspects of life that contribute to a better, longer, and higher-quality life. Acknowledgement: This research was supported by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, Grant no. 7358, Population dynamics under environmental challenges in Serbia – POPENVIROS.
Inter-Aging+: Rethinking Continuing Education for Health and Social Services Professionals on Aging
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Véronique Dubé, Maryse Soulieres, J. Ignace Olazabal, Louise Papillon Ferland, Nadia Gargouri, Alizée Lajeunesse, Sébastien Grenier
The challenges associated with an aging population now more than ever require interdisciplinary continuing education for health and social services professionals, who are increasingly expected to work with older adults and their caregivers. Among the educational tools available, the learning object repository (LOR) appears to be an efficient online learning environment, making educational content accessible to many learners. In addition, the development of a LOR can encourage collaboration and sharing of expertise in the field of aging. We describe the codesign process of a LOR called Inter-Aging+ aimed at empowering professionals with four of the ten competencies of a framework of interprofessional competencies in social care and services for older adults and their caregivers; present the acceptability, feasibility and outcomes of 11 e-learning objects (modules) among health and social services professionals; and discuss the collaboration and sharing of expertise offered by the codesign of the LOR. Using a mixed-method design, a project was carried out with professionals from various health and social services disciplines, professors from several faculties, older adults, and caregivers. The e-learning objects were found to be acceptable and feasible, in addition to increasing the level of knowledge of professionals. Participants also noted the impact of the knowledge acquired on their professional practice. In adding to the documentation of the codesign process of a first-of-its-kind LOR in the field of aging in Canada, this project enabled learners to deepen certain interprofessional skills essential to the benefit of older adults as well as promoting interfaculty collaboration.
