How long will you live? - How research can inform policy

A healthy dialogue between science and policy is vital in our age. Whether in Brussels or the national capitals, policy decisions need input from what research can tell us about the world. That is true whether the topic is management of the economy, climate change, immigration and security, industrial competiveness or healthcare. To foster that kind of constructive dialogue, the League of European Research Universities is organising a high-level symposium of policy-makers and researchers. To focus the discussion, a case-study is proposed: Healthcare. It is well-known that the European population is aging, and that inequities in healthcare could be a growing problem. What does research tell us about this? How has it already shaped policy, and how will it do so in the future? How can political consensus be built around research findings which may themselves be controversial or provisional in nature, especially when the stakes are high, uncertainties significant and decisions urgent? This will be an interactive discussion, over a reception and a dinner, among peers in policy analysis and management. We will begin with a scene-setter by Sir Michael Marmot, chair of the World Health Organisation's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health and a professor at University College London. Sir Michael is among the best-known researchers - and most engaging lecturers - in a politically explosive aspect of healthcare: The correlation between income and health. He is also the leader of the famous Whitehall study of British civil servants, which provided unique insights into the health of today's white-collar workers. His work has been influential, and the WHO committee he chairs has been important in policy formulation internationally.