January 2020

17Jan

Japan supports IDB’s social projects in Caribbean

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) says it has partnered with Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) in promoting and developing “socially responsible capital markets” through investments in IDB social bonds focused on education-youth-employment (EYE) in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Washington-based financial institution on Wednesday said that its social (EYE) bonds “foster human capital development from the classroom to the workplace”. “The funds raised through them will finance projects in Latin America and the Caribbean that promote effective...

January 17, 2020
News, Slider, , , , ,
Read more...
02Jan

Mongolia to write off loans of all pensioners

The National Security Council of Mongolia led by the country's president has decided to write off the loans of all pensioners in the country. President Khaltmaa Battulga announced the decision on Tuesday night while extending New Year greetings to his people via media. "I am happy to announce that the National Security Council of Mongolia has decided to pay off the loans of all pensioners ... with the aim to help them get out of debt," he said. It...

January 2, 2020
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...

December 2019

23Dec

Japan, European Development Bank Launch Social Bond Initiative

Japan’s $1.48 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) and the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) have launched a partnership to promote and develop sustainable capital markets. Their focus will be on social bonds, and the incorporation of ESG assessments in fixed-income investments. “GPIF requires all asset managers to integrate ESG into their investment analysis and decision-making,” Hiro Mizuno, CIO of GPIF, said in a statement. “We regard the purchase of green, social and sustainability bonds as one of...

December 23, 2019
News, Slider, , , , , ,
Read more...
20Dec

Tanzania: Universal Pension Scheme Transforms Lives of Elders in Zanzibar

THE Zanzibar's Universal Social Pension scheme (ZUPS) has improved the lives of older people in Zanzibar and made a positive impact on their wider households, according to a new report released on Wednesday. The Impact Evaluation of the Zanzibar Universal Pension Scheme delivers a positive assessment on how east Africa's first ever universal pension scheme, which entitles all Zanzibari residents, aged 70 and over to a monthly social pension, has positively affected the lives of its recipients. Produced by...

December 20, 2019
News, Slider, ,
Read more...
19Dec

African Development Bank to Fund Morocco’s Social Protection Program

The African Development Bank (AfDB) approved funding of $204 million to improve social protection in Morocco, on Wednesday, December 18. The main objective of the program is to broaden social protection in Morocco to include people with disabilities, children, and vulnerable women, the AfDB said in a press release. The program also aims to promote a regional approach to developing more integrated and inclusive social policies. Meanwhile, the fund will enable the creation of 144 units specialized in...

December 19, 2019
News, Slider,
Read more...
16Dec

The Old-Age Security Motive for Fertility: Evidence from the Extension of Social Pensions in Namibia

By Pauline Rossi (University of Amsterdam), Mathilde Godard (GATE-LSE, Lyon) The old-age security motive for fertility postulates that people's needs for old-age support raise the demand for children. We test this widespread idea using the extension of social pensions in Namibia during the nineties. The reform eliminated inequalities in pension coverage and benefit across regions and ethnic groups. Combining differences in pre-reform pensions and differences in exposure across cohorts, we show that pensions substantially reduce fertility, especially in late...

December 16, 2019
Aging, Articles, Labor Market, , ,
Read more...
09Dec

France pensions overhaul to go ahead despite huge protests

The French government has vowed to press ahead with its overhaul of the pensions system despite a hardening nationwide strike that will keep transport at a standstill next week amid another round of planned massive street protests. Four days after at least 800,000 people took part in one of the biggest demonstrations of trade union strength in a decade on Thursday, transport remained virtually at a halt over the weekend as the president, Emmanuel Macron, held talks with ministers...

December 9, 2019
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
09Dec

Greece. Mechanism for retirees with low pensions

The government is planning to abolish the so-called 13th pension, i.e. the handout to pensioners the SYRIZA administration distributed before the elections this year, though the 971 million euros handed out to 2.5 million retirees will stay in their pockets. The Labor Ministry is already working on the creation of a permanent mechanism for the support of recipients of low pensions, within the social security system. The amount of the support and the width of the pensioner catchment will...

December 9, 2019
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
06Dec

The Real Effects of Environmental Activist Investing

By S Lakshmi Naaraayanan, Kunal Sachdeva, Varun Sharma Using a socially-motivated activist campaign by a large pension fund, we measure the real effects of activist investing on pollution and the environment. Targeted firms reduced their total toxic chemical releases, production-related emissions, cancer-causing pollution, environmental accidents, and legal risks. These effects do not come at the expense of lower financial performance or returns. We rule out natural alternative hypotheses while also presenting evidence supporting the external validity of socially motivated...

December 6, 2019
Articles, Investing, Sustainability, ,
Read more...
06Dec

A Look at France’s Heated Debate Over Pensions

The planned overhaul of the French pensions system aims to streamline a complicated patchwork of provisions, but workers argue it will require them to work longer and will reduce their income. The heated debate over the changes to the retirement system are laid bare in the nationwide strike and protests taking place Thursday. The popular discontent will test the resolve of the government of President Emmanuel Macron, who says it remains determined to pass the reform next year. Here's a look at...

December 6, 2019
News, Slider, ,
Read more...