May 2018

As the World Ages: Rethinking a Demographic Crisis

By Kavita Sivaramakrishnan Sivaramakrishnan People are living longer, creating an unexpected boom in the elderly population. Longevity is increasing not only in wealthy countries but in developing nations as well. In response, many policy makers and scholars are preparing for a global crisis of aging. But for too long, Western experts have conceived of aging as a universal predicament—one that supposedly provokes the same welfare concerns in every context. In the twenty-first century, Kavita Sivaramakrishnan writes, we must embrace a...

Tax Aspect of the Mobility of Individuals and Companies within the EU

By Carlo Garbarino (Bocconi University - Department of Law) Migration has become an increasingly important phenomenon for societies, especially given its highly controversial political dimension. The complexity of the migrant integration process and its many varieties present challenges to policymakers who need high-quality information on which to base decisions. Nowhere is this necessity more pressing than in the development of relevant tax rules that meet the basic requirements of efficiency and equity. Moreover, the ascent of the so-called emerging economies...

April 2018

“Rethinking Pension Reform: Ten Myths About Social Security Systems”

By Peter R. Orszag & Joseph E. Stiglitz Averting the Old Age Crisis, the World Bank's path-breaking publication on pensions, trenchantly notes that "myths abound in discussions of old age security."2 This paper examines ten such myths in a deliberately provocative manner. Our hope is not only to spur debate during this "New Ideas About Old Age Security" conference, but more broadly to ensure that policy-makers understand the complexity of pension reform. It is testimony to the power of Averting the Old...

Supervising default investment funds

As the proportion of retirement income provided by private pensions becomes increasingly important, the quality and effectiveness of their supervision becomes more and more crucial. The IOPS Working Paper Series, launched in August 2007, highlights a range of challenges to be met in the development of national pension supervisory systems.The papers review the nature and effectiveness of new and established pensions supervisory systems, providing examples, experiences and lessons learnt for the benefit of IOPS members and the broader pensions...

The Relation Between the Migration, Population Aging, Labor Force Productivity and Economic Growth: An Analysis for Bulgaria

By Hamit Can (Technical University of Sofia) & Venelin Terziev (Vasil Levski National Military University; University of Ruse) In this study, the relationship between population, elderly population and economic growth is analyzed theoretically, taking into account the demographic change of the Bulgarian population and the more aging phenomenon. Thus, the change in the age structure of the Bulgarian population was investigated and the factors affecting the growth of the relationship between economic growth were investigated. Developed countries are trying to...

Pensions: More Information, Less Ideology : Assessing the Long-Term Sustainability Ofeuropean Pension Systems : Data Requirements, Analysis and Evaluations

By Tito Boeri,‎ Axel Borsch-Supan,‎ Agar Brugiavini,‎ Richard Disney,‎ Arie Kapteyn &‎ Franco Peracchi Europeans are living longer, and fewer now remain in the labour force as they grow older. Many European countries have responded to the ensuing financial pressure by reforming their public pension systems and health care programmes. There is considerable uncertainty as to the effects of these reforms - as they typically do not alter the unfunded nature of public welfare arrangements and this uncertainty is itself...

January 2018

Confidence in Retirement – How well are Kenyans prepared for retirement?

By Strathmore University The purpose of this study is to assess and evaluate the views and attitudes of working age Kenyans who are members of a registered workplace pension schemes. The study reveals the extent in which different factors influence individual’s level of optimism or pessimism about retirement as well as Kenyans actions to prepare for retirement. (more…)

Towards a New Pensions Settlement: The International Experience

By Gregg McClymont,‎ Andy Tarrant In a world of ageing populations, and in the midst of a global shift from defined benefit (DB) to defined contribution (DC) pensions, the onus is increasingly on individuals rather than employers to bear the risks of retirement provision. This book weighs the experiences of eight nations across the Americas, Asia and Europe, who have in common early adoption of DC pensions, but very different experiences of mitigation of that risk by the state, either...

Macroeconomic Implications of Changes in Social Security Rules

By Bilal Bagis (Bingol University; Istanbul 29 Mayis University Department of Economics) The Turkish social insurance system has been feverishly debated for years, particularly through its burden on the economy. The most recent reform is an attempt to neutralize the deterioration within the social security system and its effects on the economy. After the recent reform, ‘the way that retirement benefits are calculated’ is changed unfavorably for workers and the minimum age for retirement is increased. In particular, for an...