Thinking Allowed - 02/09/2009

Laurie Taylor explores the latest research into how society works. A new book explores what happens to people who return to the island of Dominica, the land of their birth, after living for many years in the UK. Research suggests around 25 per cent of the Caribbean population will go back to their country of origin, either to work or on retirement. But what are the forces which dictate this decision, and why do some people choose to go home and others choose to stay here? Research suggests that definitions of home are changing as the world contracts due to global communication and transport. Laurie talks to Dr Margaret Byron, a social geographer, and the writer Mike Phillips about the meaning of return migration. Also, the limits of ''silver power'; why old age doesn't lend itself to collective political action and identity. New research finds that the pensioner movements of the interwar years, which helped shape the postwar welfare state, have declined in importance. Laurie discusses the politics of ageing and pensioner power with Prof Paul Higgs.