Abstract
The application of the public policy of aging and old age in the city of Bogotá in the last 10 years has forced people over 60 years to regularly undertake activities in which they worked for many years as employees. Other older adults have continued working to meet their basic needs. However, under this reference, the methodology used in the research was a mixed qualitative-quantitative approach because the two are of great importance to deduce whether the national public policy of aging has brought advantages or disadvantages to the development and/or continuity of the business plans being prepared by senior entrepreneurs.
TopTheoretical Framework
The Network of Older Adults understands as public policy “the set of decisions and actions that seek to resolve socially problematic situations. It involves laws, programs, and resources, sequentially and dynamically, which is modified about the results” (Jaramillo, 1999, p. 41). In the same sense, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) defines it as: “the set of causal actions because they are defined by a government and intentional actions because they are aimed at achieving objectives or solving problems. These actions are punctuated by legitimate public authorities and empowered to do so” (Aguilar, 2012, p. 17).
This is how the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) points out that a public policy of excellence is that “where information flows and courses of action are related to a democratically determined political objective, with the participation of the community. In turn, it must include content, instruments, definitions, and forecast of the results” (Lahera, 2004). On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) ensures that active aging is: “the process of optimization of health, participation, and safety opportunities to improve the quality of life as people get older” (WHO, 2002). For this reason, the quality of life in old age “corresponds to a state that guarantees access and enjoyment of resources and services such as health, housing, income, among others and the assurance of social rights corresponds to social structures such as social image and intergenerational solidarity among others” (Huenchuan, 2005).
However, regarding the Old Age Policies, the actions organized by the State are understood to face the economic, cultural, and social consequences of the aging of individuals and the population through norms, programmatic measures, and their institutionality (Huenchuan, 2005).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Bogota Emprende: Official program with Colombian public support to convert long-term unemployed into entrepreneurs.
SMMLV: Acronym of Salario Mínimo Mensual Legal Vigente (in Spanish), it determines the official minimum wage in Colombia.
GEM: Acronym of Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, it is the most important organization related to the study of entrepreneurship in the world.
CONPES: Acronym of Consejo Nacional de Política Económica y Social (in Spanish), it is the highest national planning authority and the principal advisory body to the Colombian government in all aspects related to socioeconomic development.
Banca Para La Economia Popular: Official plan to bank the most impoverished population in Colombia that has difficult access to commercial banking.
UNDP: Acronym of United Nations Development Program, has the goal of helping Third and Fourth World countries to fight poverty, diseases, and famine with the help of non-governmental organizations, governments, and international organizations.
DANE: Acronym of Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (in Spanish), it is the agency responsible for collecting, processing, analyzing, and disseminating the official statistics of Colombia.
SISBEN: System to quickly and objectively identify the population in poverty and vulnerability in Colombia.