Imagining the Ideal Pension System

Title page

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pp. i-iii

Copyright page

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pp. iv-

Contents

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pp. v-vi

Foreword

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pp. vii-

This book is based on the 2010 conference of the European Network for Research on Supplementary Pensions (ENRSP), held at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., on September 10, 2010. The ENRSP is a research network for independent researchers in the field of private pensions...

1 - Constructing the Ideal Pension system: The Visions of Ten Country Experts

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pp. 1-18

At a time when many countries have aging populations and economies continue to struggle in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the improvement of pension systems is especially important. Pensions often are critical in preventing retirees from living in poverty...

2 - Imagining the Ideal U.S. Pension System

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pp. 19-44

Pension systems evolve over time as the economic and demographic environment in which they operate changes and as human institutions and ideas develop. Their structure is influenced by competing political forces, with differing ideological goals and economic interests...

3 - Imagining the Ideal UK Pension System

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pp. 45-76

This chapter presents what I imagine to be the ideal pension system for the United Kingdom. It is in the nature of a thought experiment, ¹ where the theory or hypothesis to be tested is that it is possible to imagine a pension system that meets a set of desirable objectives...

4 - Public and Private Provision of Pensions and the Ideal Pension System for Ireland

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pp. 77-112

Pension systems in many countries are far from ideal in terms of equity, efficiency, and viability. Pension reform has moved to center stage in most developed economies, but it is important to recognize that pension reform may not always result in improvement in pension...

5 - The Optimal Pension System: Is Denmark Best?

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pp. 113-130

In its report Averting the Old Age Crisis: Policies to Protect the Old and Promote Growth, the World Bank (1994) recommended that countries set up a multifaceted pension system based on three pillars: 1) a public old-age pension that covers the basic needs of older people...

6 - German Private Pension Law: Current State and Future Directions

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pp. 131-148

Shifting demographics and increased globalization are challenging the pension systems of industrialized nations worldwide. Given the structural problems of Germany’s social insurance and state-funded social security programs, the privately funded pension sector needs...

7 - The Ideal Pension System for Belgium

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pp. 149-194

This chapter discusses the ideal pension system for Belgium. Currently, the Belgian pension system is a subject of debate. Political and social actors have proposed substantial reforms. To get a good picture of the necessary reforms, value judgments and technical analyses...

8 - Toward the Ideal Pension System for France

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pp. 195-224

The French pension system involves almost no funding. The French savings rate is high and bolstering retirement income is a major motivation for savings, but French people rarely use savings plans that are dedicated to retirement. Public sector employees do not need...

9 - Aging in the Shadow of the Three Pillars: A Generation of Pension Debates in Switzerland (1972-2010)

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pp. 225-248

Since its consecration by the World Bank in its well-known report, Averting the Old Age Crisis (1994), as well as its adoption a decade later in an EU directive on pension funds, the three-pillar doctrine has been one of the potent metaphors of contemporary pension reform...

10 - The Role of Occupational Pension Plans in an Optimal Polish Pension System

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pp. 249-264

In spite of a radical and comprehensive reform of the public pension system in Poland that took place in 1999,¹ an adequate and sustainable retirement income for Polish citizens remains a major challenge. This chapter focuses on occupational pension plans and their role...

11 - How to Establish a Better Corporate Pension System in Japan

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pp. 265-274

In 2010, Japan had 22,219 private sector companies that had been in operation for more than 100 years, the largest number of any country. Of these, 39 companies had been in operation for at least 500 years, 435...

Authors

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pp. 275-278

Index

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pp. 279-292

About the Institute

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pp. 293-