ABSTRACT
The political economy of aging provides a lens for understanding the role of ideology in public policies. Ideologies are similar to frames, but from a different perspective. While frames focus attention on the strips of experience frames highlight, political ideologies focus attention on the cultural reservoirs of ideas themselves. We discuss the ways in which individuals and groups use ideology as a source of cultural images, an appeal to the economic system, and an aspect of systems of rational problem solving. We use the widespread acceptance of age-restricted communities as a key example, but also discuss specific policy examples related to elder abuse policies, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and public pension programs.
