Centre for Policy on Ageing



Cross-national empirical research in gerontology — the OPERA experience
Author(s)	Thomas Scharf, G Clare Wenger
Journal title	Education and Ageing, vol 15, no 3, 2000
Pages	pp 379-398
Keywords	Ageing process ; Rural areas ; Cross national surveys ; Research Reviews ; Europe.
Annotation	Cross-national research represents a significant growth area in the social sciences, reflecting the importance to be attached to findings which draw comparisons between different cultures and societies. However, in social gerontology and gerontological research, studies based on comparative empirical data for a range of countries are still uncommon. The OPERA (Older People in Europe's Rural Areas) study on which this article is based should be viewed in this context. The article reports on methodological issues arising from the conduct of a research project involving six nations from east and west Europe: the UK (Wales), the Netherlands, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic (now united as a single nation), Poland and Hungary. The broad aim of OPERA has been to provide comparable empirical data which would identify cross-national factors affecting the social, material and economic situation of older people in rural Europe. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-010209205 A
Classmark	BG: RL: 3K: 3A:6KC: 74
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.