Prize for doctoral thesis from Bayreuth

A calendar age limit is necessarily arbitrary. But it distributes this arbitrariness evenly, as all people age at the same rate and in the same direction. For this reason, it can make a significant contribution to equality and social peace compared to other access criteria, such as for pensions. This is the conclusion reached by Dr Elmar Stracke in his dissertation on the moral permissibility of calendar age limits in the pension system, written under the supervision of Professor Dr Rudolf Schüßler.

Stracke, whose academic career began with a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy & Economics at the University of Bayreuth, combined aspects of sociology, economics and the history of the pension system with moral philosophical theories on equality and justice in his work. The combination of normative principles and high practical relevance led to the research prize of the Research Network on Old Age Security being awarded to a philosophical thesis for the first time.

"Dr Elmar Stracke's dissertation topic is highly relevant to social policy and his philosophical treatise on concepts of justice and the moral permissibility of calendar age limits supports one of the main concerns of the FNA and pension insurance - namely to contribute to the objectification of pension policy," emphasised Alexander Gunkel, Chairman of the Federal Executive Board of Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund, in his laudatory speech.

Stracke also publishes the results of his research in science slams, guest contributions and blog articles. In his podcast series "Alter, was geht?" he discusses sociological, historical and philosophical aspects of old age. The award-winning work itself has been published under the title "Die kalendarische Altersgrenze im Rentensystem: Willkür oder Gleichheit?" by wbv Verlag (Open Access).