Why generation(s) matter(s) to policy

Generation is a packed social concept, with immense explanatory capacity and policy utility, yet it is a concept fraught with misunderstanding in both the social sciences and in popular usage. It is no less fraught in policy. This short overview paper has three objectives: • 1) to explore generation as a socially useful explanatory concept and distinguish it from its close cousins, cohort and age group; • 2) to show how generation has been thought about theoretically and historically in ways that are useful today; • 3) to contemplate why policy should be interested in generation( s) in 2007 and beyond.