In this final episode of Season 5 of 4-Quarter Lives, Avivah talks with Professor Andrew Scott about his new book, The Longevity Imperative, and the profound implications of increased lifespan. Andrew distinguishes between the first and second longevity revolutions, highlighting the shift from surviving childhood to redefining the ageing process itself. He emphasizes the imperative for cultural and societal changes to enable individuals to age better and maximise the potential of their additional healthy years. He provides clarity on life expectancy data, explaining the nuances between period and cohort measures, and underscoring how gains in life expectancy now predominantly occur after the age of 60. And he shines a light on health inequalities that hinder progress in the UK and USA.
The conversation continues by looking at the importance of fostering generational balance and perspectives in the workforce. Andrew advocates for restructuring systems to value mixed-age workforces, stressing the necessity for flexible career structures and confronting ageism. He frames ageing as a continuous process rather than a singular event, critiquing the prevalent dichotomy between ‘young’ and ‘old’. He is optimistic that this generation can pioneer new perspectives on extended life, influencing future generations with a more holistic view of ageing.
Professor Andrew Scott is a world expert on the economics of longevity and on what that entails for ensuring happier, healthier and more productive lives. An award-winning researcher, speaker, author and teacher, he is co-founder of The Longevity Forum, co-author (with Lynda Gratton) of the global bestselling book “The Hundred Year Life” and a professor of economics at London Business School. He is also a consulting scholar at Stanford University’s Center on Longevity.
He was Managing Editor for the Royal Economic Society’s Economic Journal and Non-Executive Director for the UK’s Financial Services Authority 2009-2013. He has been an advisor on policy to a range of governments. He is currently on the advisory board of the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility, the Cabinet Office Honours Committee (Science and Technology), co-founder of The Longevity Forum, a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s International Commission on Health Longevity and the WEF council on Healthy Ageing and Longevity. Previously Andrew held positions at Oxford University, London School of Economics and Harvard University. His MA is from Oxford, his M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and his D.Phil from Oxford.
Useful Links:
Andrew Scott’s website
Buy The Longevity Imperative on Amazon UK or Amazon USA
Buy The Hundred Year Life on Amazon UK or Amazon USA
Report (joint author): The Longevity Dividend: The Economics of Healthier, Longer and More Productive Lives
Article (joint author) in The Journal of the Economics of Ageing: Healthy ageing trends in England between 2002 to 2018: Improving but slow and unequal
Andrew Scott - The New Longevity Imperative