Recent literature on intergenerational relations -although giving different explanations -suggests that the giving of money and services to children reinforces the receiving of money and services by elderly people. To explore the flow of support between the generations we present evidence about the type and intensity of the help that elderly people receive from their adult children and their families. By comparing five developed countries we examine whether the amount of family help transferred to older people is shaped by a ' crowding out ' process, in which more generous welfare systems displace family solidarity. Taking co-residence into account the international comparison does not support the crowding out hypothesis. We then show that the giving of services by older people to their adult children increases the probability that they receive help from them. This indirectly supports the reverse hypothesis, namely that the relationship between the state and the family may be described as a process of ' crowding in ' : generous welfare systems which give resources to elderly people help to increase rather than undermine family solidarity.

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Using longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), our article shows that the population aged 50 or older is socially connected in several ways. The various dimensions of social connectedness turn out to be complementary rather than substitutive, except for the relationship between informal social relations and family relations, which tends to be characterized by substitution. Our longitudinal analysis reveals that the dynamics of formal and informal social relations as well as family relations tend to be driven by individuals' resources and needs. While the associations between elders' social connectedness and individual characteristics are very similar across countries, we find significant regional variation regarding the levels and the dynamics of social connectedness.

If offline older citizens remain offline they will become increasingly disadvantaged from a socio-ecological point of view, as the Internet's societal pervasiveness progresses. We study reasons for non-use and the frequency, intensity, and, the socio-demographic correlates of Internet use of older citizens in Europe. Theoretical relationships on the individual and societal level are ascertained. The Eurobarometer of 2003 offers a range of variables to explore the diffusion of Internet technology among 55+ year-old people in Europe. Descriptive statistics and population average models are used to identify the correlates of Internet access. Within the population segment of older citizens, age continues to have a differentiating effect, net of marital, occupational, and educational status for Internet access. Model replications show that only a few of the net coefficients differ in size. Decisions to remain offline are mainly based on private access possibilities, motivational indifference, and deficient knowledge. Existing socioeconomic inequalities regarding Internet access crystallise within the older population, particularly in the Southern regions of Europe. A claim is made for a necessity to maintain efforts to close the digital age gap.

We study the residential choice of siblings who are altruistic towards their parents. The firstborn child's location choice influences the behavior of the second-born child and can shift some of the burden of providing care for the parents from one child to the other. These strategic considerations lead to an equilibrium location pattern with firstborn children locating further away from their parents than second-born children. We also analyze the location choices empirically using German data. These data confirm our theoretical predictions. (JEL H41, J10)