Distinguished scholars who have contributed significantly to the development of research on ageing, retirement security and social protection through the Old-Age Financial Protection Chair (OAFPC).
Professor Dr Naohiro Ogawa was SSRC’s Holder of the Old-Age Financial Protection Chair (OAFPC). He is a Professor at the Graduate School of Economics, The University of Tokyo, and an Emeritus Professor at the College of Economics, Nihon University.
His research includes Asia’s intergenerational equity, poverty alleviation and public policy at the Nihon University Population Research Institute, funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). He has also led research on policies for coping with declining fertility and population ageing at the University of Tokyo, funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
Professor Ogawa’s work focuses on demographic and social security issues, fertility, intergenerational transfers, population ageing and social protection, particularly in Asia. He has published several books and numerous academic journal articles.
Professor Dr Robert Holzmann was OAFPC’s Chairholder from 2012 to 2015 and later served as SSRC’s Distinguished Research Fellow. He is a Professor of Economics at the University of Vienna, Austria, Director of the RH Institute for Economic Policy Analyses in Vienna, and Senior Advisor to the World Bank.
He previously held academic positions at Harvard University, Oxford University and the University of Saarland, Germany. He joined the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Germany, as a Research Fellow in 2003 and co-created the programme on Employment and Development.
Professor Holzmann has served as an advisor and director in several prominent organisations, including the OECD and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). His research, teaching and consultancy work cover pensions, financial literacy, labour markets, migration, social protection and fiscal policy.
Professor Dr Sarah Harper was the first Chairholder of the Old-Age Financial Protection Chair (OAFPC) at SSRC. She is a Professor of Gerontology and Senior Research Fellow at Nuffield College, University of Oxford.
Professor Harper has served on the UK Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology, chaired the UK Government’s Foresight Review on Ageing Societies, and contributed to the European Ageing Index Panel for the UNECE Population Unit. She has also served as Governor of the Pensions Policy Institute.
She founded the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, funded by the US National Institutes of Health. Her research focuses on demographic change, falling fertility, increasing longevity, and the global and regional impact of population ageing, with particular interest in Asia and Africa.
Last Update: 09/07/2026