Ageing or silvering? Political debate about ageing in the Netherlands

This article explores the role of anticipatory knowledge in institutional change, using Dutch debates about population ageing and their impact on welfare policies as a case study to illustrate its argument. Mapping the debates around ageing in the Netherlands, the article demonstrates that changes in narrative are a powerful force in the policy process. The case study describes the process of argumentation about the future that took place between 2000 and 2006, and reflects upon the use of knowledge about the future that came to be of crucial importance in bringing temporary closure to the controversy over the proper response to the demographic shift. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.