Laudation for Professor John Myles
Delivered in Leuven on 2 February 2012 Professor Jos Berghman, promotor
Your Eminence,
KATHOLIEKE
UNIVERSITEIT
LEUVEN
Honourable Rector,
Your Excellencies,
Esteemed Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Students,
Allow me to speak briefly about John Myles. And I do not mean the singer of 'Music
Was My First Love' in which he made reference to the ‘music of the furure’,but rather about
the Canadian academic at the forefront of the future of pensions. From his earliest days in
the academic world, one could say that Eternity was Professor Myles’ first love. He studied
philosophy and theology – until, that is, he attended a summer course in Leuven. What we
did not know but have since uncovered is that it was precisely during that summer course in
Leuven that he discovered the charm of sociology. That was long ago, and it was our Frenchspeaking colleagues, all of whom subsequently left for Louvain-la Neuve, who encouraged
his transformation into a sociologist. All of this helps to explain why Professor Myles, after
studying in Ottawa, went on to study in Rome and, from there, make that fateful trip to
Leuven. He went on to receive his sociological training in Carleton and Wisconsin and find
employment at the universities of Harvard, Carleton, Alberta, Florida State, Ottawa and the
European University Institute in Florence. He is currently affiliated with the Department of
Sociology and with the School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Toronto,
where he also holds the prestigious Canada Research Chair.
It has happened before in the field of sociology that sociologists with a philosophical
background such as Myles' blossom into outstanding empirical scientists. As one of the most
eminent and creative Canadian sociologists, Professor Myles has published on stratification
and comparative social policy in virtually all major sociological journals and has (co)authored
a number of important books in the area of social policy. He has made contributions, among
other things, on education, employment and wage disparity, but most influential has been
his theoretical and empirical work on the development of and the similarities and
differences between pension systems. His 1984 book, Old Age in the Welfare State: The
Political Economy of Public Pensions, became an instant classic. In that book, he points out
that policies affecting the elderly – and pension policy is certainly included in this – are
essentially distributive and redistributive policies, something that our colleague, Frank
Vandenbroucke, just reiterated in his video remarks.
Pension systems were developed about a century ago. At that time, the average life
expectancy was 44 and only a small percentage of the population reached retirement age.
Now that life expectancy has nearly doubled, with pensioners collecting benefits for an
average of 17 years, it is not surprising that major questions have been raised around the
sustainability of pension systems and the question of redistribution that comes with it.
Belgium, too, recognises this.
Central to Professor Myles’ work is precisely this issue of sustainability. The usual
practice is to see sustainability as a one-dimensional issue of financial sustainability. Without
denying that financial sustainability is indeed a real problem, Myles points out that there is
more to the story and that the problems of social and political sustainability are pertinent as
well. In his eyes, the socially acceptable distribution of scarce pension resources is no less
critical to ensuring that the pension system can find stable political support and prevent the
development of a ‘dual society’. By honouring Myles's work, we attest to the importance of
these additional forms of sustainability.
John Myles' contributions to the scientific literature and public debate around social
inequality shine for their rigorous theoretical and empirical quality. As a socially committed
researcher, he not only directs his attention to the actual distribution across the population
of all kinds of goods and services, he also provides a normative translation of how this
distribution should look. Besides the issue of sustainability, there is indeed, the issue of
distribution. In his vision’s analysis of intra-generational implications, extra attention is paid
to ensuring social protection for the poorest members of society. His solution to the intergenerational distribution of the costs of ageing has been particularly influential. Against the
background of the work of fiscalist Richard Musgrave, Myles outlines in clear terms how the
costs of the ageing population can be evenly distributed over generations. The core idea in
this is that both active, contribution-paying workers and non-active pensioners must do their
part. He convincingly articulates these ideas in Why We Need a New Welfare State,
published in 2002, which made a significant splash in social policy circles.
The importance and impact of Professor Myles’ work is evidenced by the many
awards he has received and his membership in prestigious scholarly organisations. The
conferral of this honorary doctorate emphasises the high esteem KU Leuven has for both
Professor Myles' empirical research, social engagement and set of values, and the social and
political policy implications that flow from them.
For these reasons, I ask you, honoured Rector, on the recommendation of the
Academic Council, to confer the degree of doctor honoris causa of KU Leuven upon
Professor John Myles.