This paper was first presented as a background paper to the invitation conference The social quality of Europe, organised in Amsterdam, 8-10 June 1997 by the Dutch Ministry on Health, Welfare and Sports.

A comparison between arrangements for income and care in old age in Britain and the Netherlands before and after the welfare state.

The gradual aging of western society during the twentieth century, including its causes and consequences, has become one of the dominant themes of demography and sociology. This study tries to shed more light on the recent past of older individuals emphasizing the socio-economic strategies they employed …