SPP LECTURE | When Time Becomes Currency: A Time Banking Approach to the Global Eldercare Crisis

Public Policy Lecture Series-08
Topic	When Time Becomes Currency: A Time Banking Approach to the Global Eldercare Crisis
Host	Prof. Zhang Zhibin
Date	July 2 (Thursday), 2026
Time	11:00 AM, Beijing Time
Format	Onsite
Venue	CxII, 905
Language	English
About the Speaker
Guo Chao, Ph.D., is Professor and Faculty Director of Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership (NPL) Program in the School of Social Policy and Practice, and Faculty Co-Director of the Partnership for Innovation, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Leadership, & Organization (PICCLO), both at the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Guo’s award-winning research covers technology and nonprofits, nonprofit governance, nonprofit advocacy, social entrepreneurship, and collaboration within and across sectors. He currently serves as the President of the Association of Research on Nonprofit Organizations & Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), a global interdisciplinary community of nonprofit and philanthropic scholars, educators, and practice leaders. He is a former Editor-in-Chief of Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly (NVSQ), the premier journal in the field.
Abstract
How do societies care for older adults who are living longer, often with complex health and social need? Rapidly aging populations are straining all pillars of care: the market-based services we pay for, the government programs we rely on, and the family caregiving that has traditionally supported older adults. In this seminar, Professors Guo and Ren present findings from their ongoing research that examines time banking—a modern service exchange system where hours of work are traded instead of money—as an innovative response to the global eldercare challenge. They hope this seminar will stimulate interest in future research and practice on time banking that will produce scholarly publications and inform policy on population aging and eldercare.