August 2022

Social Protection for the Informal Economy. Operational Lessons for Developing Countries in Africa and Beyond

By Melis Guven, Himanshi Jain, & Clement Joubert The informal economy in Africa is large and diverse, and it is the main source of employment in the region. It is projected to grow and create more jobs. The informal economy is well established in the region, but it also faces a host of development challenges. It is characterized by low human capital and productivity compared with the formal economy and is typically associated with limited access to resources such as electricity, finance,...

July 2022

IMF Engagement on Pension Issues in Surveillance and Program Work

By IMF The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is increasingly involved in offering policy advice on public pension issues to member countries. Public pension spending is important from both fiscal and welfare perspectives. Pension policy and its reforms can have significant fiscal and distribution implications, can influence labor supply and labor demand decisions, and may impact consumption and savings behavior. This technical note provides guidance on assessing public pension systems’ macrocriticality, i.e., sustainability, adequacy, and efficiency; it also discusses the issues...

April 2022

Retirement Savings Policy: Past, Present, and Future (The Alexandra Lajoux Corporate Governance)

By Michael P. P. Barry Retirement Savings Policy reviews the basic policies that govern retirement savings plans, and their real world application, focusing on the key issues of finance, taxation, fiduciary conduct, and employee choice. The discussion is framed around the three fundamental challenges confronting employers and employees today – the pension legacy, the 401(k) revolution, and the pressure, from policymakers, regulators, opinion leaders, and individuals, for changes that will put retirement security within reach of all Americans. With more...

Underfunded Public Sector Pension Plans, Social Security Participation, and the Retirement Decisions of Public Employees

Underfunded Public Sector Pension Plans, Social Security Participation, and the Retirement Decisions of Public Employees

By Leslie E. Papke I analyze the effects of public pension parameters, Social Security coverage, and state pension fund sustainability on the retirement of public employees. I use data from the Health and Retirement Study, including personal early and normal retirement eligibility and state of residence. I develop a state-level measure of effective public pension plan sustainability that reflects both the degree of public plan underfunding and a state’s ability to fund the plan with its own resources. Using the...

The Danish Pension System: Design, Performance, and Challenges

By Andersen, Hougaard Jensen & Rangvid The need for pension reform is widely discussed against the backdrop of falling fertility rates and rising longevity. These developments challenge pension systems which in many countries already encounter problems with pension adequacy and financial sustainability. In the debate, reference is often made to Denmark as a model for pension system reform. This book offers the first coherent and in-depth description and analysis of the Danish pension system; its structure and performance. As is well-known to...

Strategic partnerships and ICT solutions in extending social security coverage in Africa

By ISSA Through strategic partnerships and modern information and communications (ICT) solutions, member institutions of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) are strengthening the scope, extent, and adequacy of social security coverage. Across Africa, the quasi totality of countries has social security schemes and/or programmes theoretically covering most of the population. The policy discourse on extending social security coverage during the last decades culminates in the enactment of new legislation to expand the scope of coverage and reforms on existing schemes...

March 2022

Looking into Longevity: Q&A with Professor David Blake

Looking into Longevity: Q&A with Professor David Blake

By David P. Blake & Howard Kearns Defined benefit pension schemes are increasingly focusing on the impact of longevity risk on their liabilities. Howard Kearns, longevity director at Insight, speaks to Professor David Blake, professor in the Faculty of Finance at Bayes Business School and Director of the Pensions Institute, on the impact of the pandemic on longevity, the consequences for pension schemes, and the future of the longevity hedging market. Sourse: SSRN 521 views

Report on the economic impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Latin America and the Caribbean

Report on the economic impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Latin America and the Caribbean

By ECLAC On 26 March 2020, the Government of Mexico convened a virtual ministerial meeting on health affairs for response and follow-up to the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, which was attended by foreign ministers and health representatives from 30 countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as regional organizations. As a result of the meeting, CELAC formed a strategic alliance with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)...

War and Pensions

War and Pensions

By John A. Turner, David M. Rajnes & Gerard Hughes Although war has had substantial effects, both positive and negative, on pension systems, the topic has received relatively little attention. War has played a role in the development of pension systems in many countries. Yet, no previous analysis has examined the full range of its effects. Source: Actuaries.org 832 views

War and Social Welfare: Reconstruction after Conflict 2009th Edición

By F. Cocozzelli & Paul S. Chung War and Social Welfare: Reconstruction after Conflict addresses the issues of rebuilding social assistance and pension programs in the wake of war. Arguing that post-conflict reconstruction missions need to pay greater attention to comprehensive social policy formation, the book makes normative and functional claims that social welfare programs articulate the core aspects of citizenship. War and Social Welfare uses the case of Kosovo to examine the interaction of international and local political actors...