Researchers Behind Policy Development: Comparing ‘Age-Friendly Cities’ Models in Quebec and Wallonia

Abstract

Based on a reflexive method, this article explores the roles of researchers behind Age-Friendly Cities and Environments. Referring to Michael Burawoy's division of sociological work (professional, critical, policy and public sociology), it is structured around the international comparison of two empirical case studies: Walloon region (Belgium) and Quebec (a province of Canada). While the first case shows some difficulties faced by a limited policy sociology perspective with little room for research, the latter presents a more developed public sociology approach with larger involvement from research. If both cases started with policy links, the latter presents a special interest for praxis, through knowledge transfer as an ongoing public dialogue. Based on this comparison, the article concludes with a twofold use of praxis: on one side – knowledge in action – a public sociology position offers an original perspective on what AFC/AFE may mean and produce to avoid a limited field of actions focusing only on some stakeholders or advocates for older people. On the other side – action in knowledge – policy and public sociology question professional and critical sociology facing AFC/AFE programmes: is a purely academic knowledge of such a programme epistemologically realistic or should it necessarily be empirically fuelled?

Keywords::

• age-friendly city
• age-friendly environment
• reflexive method
• praxis
• public sociology
• researcher/policy relation
• international comparison

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Wallonie-Bruxelles International Agency (WBI), under Grant SUB/2014/160138 for the Belgian case and by the Secrétariat aux Aînés for the Quebec case.

Notes on contributors

Thibauld Moulaert

Thibauld Moulaert is a Scientific Collaborator at the Catholic University of Louvain (Institute of Health and Society) and Associated Professor at the University of Sherbrooke (Research Centre on Aging). He also teaches sociology at the Provincial High School of Namur (Interdisciplinary Course of Geriatry). In his Ph.D., he worked on social policy of empowering older jobseekers, using a governmentality perspective on ‘Active Ageing in employment’. He is now working on Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCC) development in international comparison, as a second application of ‘Active Ageing’. Together with Suzanne Garon, he is editing a book on AFCC practices and experiences around the world, to be published by Springer. Address: IRSS, Clos Chapelle-aux-Champs, 30 boîte 3016 -1200 Brussels. [E-mail: [email protected]].

Suzanne Garon

Suzanne Garon is Full Professor and Researcher at the University of Sherbrooke (Research Center on Aging). With Professor Marie Beaulieu, she started research on Age-Friendly Cities in Quebec in 2007. Now she is the Principal Researcher on this domain in Sherbrooke. She is also member of the Strategic Advisory Group of the WHO Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities. With her research team, she published on the Quebec model in a series of international journals and recently participated in a book on AFCC published by Taylor & Francis. She is also co-editor, with Thibauld Moulaert, of a book on AFCC to be published by Springer. Address: Ph.D., Full Professor and Researcher, University of Sherbrooke, School of Social Work, Research Centre on Aging, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.