Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book highlights a multidisciplinary perspective in the search for context for research into old age. It shows the correlation between the approaches of gerontology and other scientific disciplines and their tangent points. The book illustrates the difference between multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary approaches to ageing and gerontology. It investigates ageing in the population using National Transfer Accounts (NTA), showing how the NTA is an extension of the System of National Accounts. The book argues that every well-constructed methodological framework must also take into account ethical assumptions. It considers methodology, with a focus on the different statistical models used to study the ageing process when longitudinal data is available. The book deals with concepts generally employed in the methodology of social research, such as quantitative, qualitative and mixed approaches, research methods, techniques and tools.