Paul Keating launching CAPPA.
The Centre for Applied Policy in Positive Ageing (CAPPA) is the ‘do tank’ of Per Capita’s think tank. It was established in 2014 with the generous support of the Wicking Trust, one of the most significant non-government funders of ageing innovation and research in Australia.
Per Capita is one of Australia’s leading think tanks dedicated to building a new vision for Australia based on fairness, prosperity, community and social justice. It addresses disadvantage and inequality in Australia by advocating to influencers for policy change, by conducting and communicating independent research and policy recommendations to decision makers, and ultimately, by the translation of these policy recommendations into applied policy.
As the ‘do tank’, CAPPA undertakes social innovation projects that focus on finding solutions to emerging issues resulting from Australia’s ageing population, with the aim to increase the social and economic wellbeing of older Australians. Through its social innovation projects, CAPPA harnesses ageing as an opportunity for Australian society by catalyzing policy innovation.
We achieve this purpose in multiple ways:
- Develop innovative and original social innovation projects, underpinned by rigorous research;
- Test social innovation projects in the field and prepare them for scaling;
- Conduct original ageing related public policy research;
- Champion positive ageing by reframing the public debate; and
- Influence policy makers and practitioners to ensure long-term strategic change.
During the two years preceding the launch of CAPPA, Per Capita completed extensive research work on longevity and its implications for Australia’s future. The central findings are that an extra 25 years of high-quality life expectancy over the last century constitute an unquestionably positive development for both individuals and society, and that Australia should embrace longer lives as a remarkable opportunity rather that a grave challenge.
Per Capita then established the Centre for Applied Policy in Positive Ageing (CAPPA) to develop and trial specific policy initiatives that embrace this opportunity. It is Per Capita’s ageing policy “do tank”
With its dual focus on applied policy and positive ageing, CAPPA is unique in the Australian think tank landscape.
CAPPA and Systemic Change
Policy innovation has the best chance of being self-sustaining if it is applied policy, undertaken in collaboration and is community-driven. Applied policy research is outcomes focused, seeks systemic long-term change and is multi-disciplinary in its approach. This is distinguishable from both academic research, which is highly specialised, empirical and theoretical, and government approaches to policy which are typically risk averse and constrained by resources. Applied policy research fills the gap on the research spectrum between these two approaches to policy.
CAPPA’s function is to develop policy proposals and social innovations, and to test them through pilot programs so that the successes are adopted by government and the community.
These pilot programs allow us to develop and test projects and policy ideas on a micro-scale, to ensure sustainability and scalability.
Through CAPPA we are able to effect enduring system change through capacity building in applied policy and investment in these pilots.
