Claudine Attias-Donfut (sous la direction de). Les solidarités entre générations: vieillesse, families, État. Paris: Nathan, coll. Essais et Recherche, 1995, pp. 352.

Abstract

The goal of this collective work of about 20 international contributors is to examine the interface between public intergenerational solidarity, central to the welfare state, and intergenerational solidarity within families, including the interaction and interference between the public and private systems. Despite the title, not all contributions address the central theme, although all present varied and useful perspectives. Formal and informal caregiving is discussed extensively as a manifestation of the tension between public and familial solidarity. A key message is that, although social policies regarding intergenerational solidarity are designed to be an instrument of risk management, they are also the source of risk for the continuity and development of intergenerational solidarity.