Toward a political and moral economy of aging: an alternative perspective

A conceptual framework for empowerment of the elderly is proposed, using variations on Gramsci's hegemony and Thompson's moral economy to complement recent political economic and social psychological theories. The political economy and social psychology of aging highlight structural constraints and actors' reactions without articulating a model for empowerment. Gramsci's idea of hegemony as new moral and philosophical leadership calls for principles of social and economic organization deserving assent because they maximize people's chances for a decent life at all ages. Hegemony, as normalizing dominance, reveals ways in which the elderly may be disempowered as well as possibilities for intervention. Underlying diverse forms of hegemony are economic arrangements and an array of cultural norms. In contrast to Thompson, the authors argue that norms implicit in moral economy vary with changes in social context. In the process, two ideal types of moral economy are elaborated, grounded in exchange value and use value, respectively. Empowerment may be found through a moral economy grounded in use value appropriate to advanced industrial society that is consonant with Gramsci's new hegemony. Implications for health and income maintenance policies are explored.