October 2018

01Oct

Kenyan campaigners urge enhanced protection for elderly persons

Kenya requires a radical policy shift in order to cushion senior citizens from abject poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, diseases and social exclusion, campaigners said on Sunday on the eve of the International Day of Older Persons. The elderly campaigners said that promoting the welfare of the ageing population through robust social safety net programs is key to realize socio-economic progress in Kenya. "Today in Kenya, older activists are campaigning for universal quality healthcare, improved access to social protection, more affordable and accessible...

October 1, 2018
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01Oct

UK. Pension annual allowance penalties leap to £517m

Record 16,590 people paying penalty on 2016-17 pension contributions The tax take from individuals paying a tax penalty for breaching the £40,000 annual allowance hit £517m ($673m, €580m) in the 2016-17 financial year ­– a huge increase from £143m in the previous year. The number of taxpayers reporting this through their tax returns reached 16,590, up from 5,430 in 2015-16. Meanwhile, the yield from those breaking the lifetime allowance (LTA) in 2016-17 reached £102m, involving 2,120 taxpayers, up from £66m and 1,180...

October 1, 2018
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September 2018
28Sep

Women in Finance: A Case for Closing Gaps

By Ratna Sahay ; Martin Cihak Women are underrepresented at all levels of the global financial system, from depositors and borrowers to bank board members and regulators. A new study at the IMF finds that greater inclusion of women as users, providers, and regulators of financial services would have benefits beyond addressing gender inequality. Narrowing the gender gap would foster greater stability in the banking system and enhance economic growth. It could also contribute to more effective monetary and fiscal policy....

September 28, 2018
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28Sep

Cost-Benefit Analysis and the Evaluation of the Effects of Corruption on Public Projects

By Robert J Brent (Fordham University) Cost–benefit analysis (CBA) is the basis for rational economic decision making, whether it is for the government or individuals. If benefits are greater than costs, then a project or activity should be expanded. If costs are greater than the benefits, the project or activity should be contracted. And if benefits equal costs, the existing scale of operations is optimal. A social CBA obtains its measurement principles concerning the benefits and costs from applied welfare...

September 28, 2018
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28Sep

Diversification Power of Real Estate Market Securities: The Role of Financial Crisis and Dividend Policy

By Metin Ilbasmis (University of Aberdeen) Marc Gronwald (University of Aberdeen; CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)) Zhao Yuan Jun (Donghua University) This paper investigates dynamic conditional correlations between stock and REIT markets in both Turkey and the U.S. We use an Asymmetric DCC - GJR - GARCH model to estimate the dynamic conditional correlation at daily, weekly, and monthly frequencies. Our contribution is threefold. First, we find a that downward trend in the daily conditional correlation in...

September 28, 2018
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28Sep

The Politics of Aging and Retirement: Evidence from Swiss Referenda

By Piera Bello (University of Lugano) Vincenzo Galasso (University of Lugano; Centre for Economic Policy Research) Aging creates financial troubles for PAYG pension systems, since the share of retirees to workers increases. An often advocated policy response is to increase retirement age. Ironically, however, the political support for this policy may actually be hindered by population aging. Using Swiss administrative voting data at municipal level (and individual survey data) from pension reforms referenda, we show in fact that individuals close...

September 28, 2018
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28Sep

Malaysia. Khalid: Brace for challenges brought on by ageing society

KUALA Lumpur should brace itself for an ageing population and climate change. Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad said proper city planning, development and management was critical as 77% of the country’s population lived in cities. “A large population in our cities will mean urbanisation challenges such as solid waste disposal, traffic congestion, air pollution, limited water resources, inadequate supply of housing and an increase in ageing population. “Malaysia will become an ageing society by 2040 in which almost 20% will be...

September 28, 2018
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28Sep

Kenya. Pension schemes pool resources to fund infrastructure projects

Pension schemes under their newly-formed umbrella body, the Kenya Pension Fund Investment Consortium is eyeing big-ticket investment projects by pooling their resources. Zamara Group Chief Executive Officer Sundeep Raichura says that teaming up of local pensions funds will enable them invest in alternative investment asset classes including affordable housing, private equity, energy and infrastructure projects which would ordinarily be challenging if pension funds were to invest individually. The Kenya Pension Fund Investment Consortium is currently made up of 10 pension funds...

September 28, 2018
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27Sep

UK. Pension bosses banned for 34 years after abusing members’ funds

Four directors of companies that formed part of a group involved in the transfer of millions of pounds of pensions have been banned for a total of 34 years. Karl Dunlop, Stuart Grehan and Ian Dunsford previously accepted disqualification undertakings for their management roles within the group of companies involved in the transfer of pension funds. Stuart Grehan, Director of Sycamore Crown Ltd and also known as Stuart Chapman-Clark, agreed to a 9-year voluntary ban as a result of false and...

September 27, 2018
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27Sep

US. Public pensions are paying higher fees for lower returns, Pew study finds

Public pension plans are spending more than $2 billion a year in fees on high-cost, risky investments to boost returns. But those bets haven't been paying off, according a report Wednesday from the Pew Charitable Trusts. The higher cost comes as public pension fund managers try to make up for a steep shortfall brought by years of underfunding and lackluster investment returns. As of fiscal 2016, the latest data available, state pension funds tracked by Pew had a combined $1.4 trillion...

September 27, 2018
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