Caring for those we love is understandable, but exactly what enables people to care for strangers? This paper draws on an analysis of data from the study of time-diaries (ABS' Time Use Surveys) to examine the connection between sociability and care. Using information on the behaviour of carers, the authors' findings are consistent with the...

In The Recruitment of Older Workers: A Survey of a High Growth Industry Michael Bittman, Mardi Flick and James Rice from the Social Policy Research Centre present the results of a survey on employer attitudes and practices towards the recruitment of older workers in the business services sector. To better grasp the likely policy implications...

Robert Putnam's influential book about 'social capital', Bowling Alone, uses volunteering as an index of civic participation and argues that the imminent decline of volunteering signals a potential crisis for democracy. Volunteering: The Human Face of Democracy by Jennifer Wilkinson and Michael Bittman challenges the assumptions underpinning Putnam's ideas.