BALANCING INTERGENERATIONAL EQUITY AND GENERATIONAL INTERDEPENDENCE: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE NORMATIVE PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING POLICIES IN AGEING SINGAPORE

Abstract

This thesis problematises the tendency within the literature to reconstruct the debate over distributive policies in ageing societies through a dichotomous lens framed by two interpretive packages: the intergenerational equity perspective and the generational interdependence perspective. Using Singapore as a case study, it questions the practical usefulness of this bipolar framework in examining the generational equity debate as it takes place in ageing countries around the world. Two claims are made. The first claim contends that while the bipolar distinction may offer much-appreciated clarity at the conceptual level, it misrepresents policy framings as being more coherent and distinct than they actually are in the real world. Instead, it argues that studies of the generational equity debate ought to pay greater attention to how ostensibly opposing perspectives have been strategically employed in combination by policymakers looking to ‘sell’ the legitimacy of particular distributive arrangements to their diverse generational audiences. Possible motives and their implications on intergenerational solidarity are discussed to start this conversation. The second claim suggests that the dualistic conception is incomplete insofar as it is predominantly informed by the generational experiences of American and European contexts. A ternary conception of the generational equity debate is proffered in its place to better accommodate the diverging generational histories found in other parts of the world, thus extending the applicability of the framework at the international level.