Introduction to the Special Issue on Ageing

The global demographic landscape is experiencing an unprecedented shift, with the proportion of individuals aged 65 and older projected to rise from 10 percent in 2022 to over 16 percent by 2050 reported in the World Population Prospects 2022 (UNDESA, 2022).This ageing trend presents a defining yet underestimated challenge for policymakers and researchers.While discussions on ageing have traditionally focused on healthcare, dependency, and social security, this special issue underscores a critical yet underexplored dimension -the productive potential of older individuals and the socio-economic implications of ageing.The notion of a longevity bonus, where individuals live longer and healthier lives, demands a shift from viewing ageing as a burden to recognizing it as an opportunity for sustained economic contribution.This special issue addresses the policy inertia surrounding ageing populations, urging a reconsideration of current retirement, welfare, and labour force policies.Rather than merely mitigating the potential adverse effects of ageing, this special issue advocates for a policy redesign that fosters healthy, active, and productive ageing.This includes post-retirement participation in the labour market through entrepreneurship, mentoring, volunteering, and part-time employment, alongside critical considerations of pension reforms, digital inclusion, and workplace adaptation for an ageing workforce.This special issue brings together nine articles that collectively offer a multidimensional view of ageing and productivity.The contributions draw on diverse methodologies (quantitative, qualitative, policy analysis) and geographical perspectives (Europe, Asia, and the USA) to explore key themes such as workforce participation, entrepreneurship, pension sustainability, and digital inclusion.The following section summarizes the articles, highlighting their key contributions to policy planning and research.The first article, "Pre-retirement, retirement, and post-retirement: policy considerations and consequences" by Roland Bardy, provides an overarching analysis of retirement policies and their implications for individual well-being and national economies.It argues that many existing policies are based on outdated life expectancy assumptions and fail to account for the increasing willingness and capacity of older individuals to remain economically active.Ignoring the longer healthy life expectancies and individuals' desire for continued meaningful engagement with society also inadvertently triggered a more significant fiscal burden and societal chasm.This study calls for flexible retirement policies, phased retirement options, and incentives for post-retirement work to balance individual preferences with economic sustainability.The article also explores how knowledge transfer, digital literacy, and voluntary engagement can be viable post-retirement activities.The second article, "Emeriti Professors as entrepreneurs" by Raymond Saner, examines the role of retired university professors in undertaking entrepreneurship, mentorship, and consultancy as pathways for meaningful post-retirement engagement.Through a comparative analysis of academic retirement policies across different countries, the study finds that Emeriti Professors, when provided with institutional support, can significantly contribute to knowledge transfer, business innovation, and policy advising.The study also highlights how PAP 28,