ANALYZING THE EFFICIENCY OF PENSION REFORM: THE ROLE OF THE WELFARE EFFECTS OF FISCAL CLOSURES

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1205-1234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Makarski ◽  
Jan Hagemejer ◽  
Joanna Tyrowicz
Keyword(s):  
Pension System ◽  
Pension Reform ◽  
Welfare Effects ◽  
System Reform ◽  
Defined Benefit ◽  
Defined Contribution ◽  
Dc System ◽  
Intergenerational Redistribution ◽  
The Way

Replacing the pay-as-you-go defined benefit (PAYG DB) system with an at least partially funded defined contribution (DC) system generates fiscal costs that need financing. The fiscal closures at hand differ by the channel and the extent of distortions. The main contribution of this paper is a thorough comparison of the welfare effects of the various fiscal closures of the pension system reform. In addition, we decompose the welfare effects to the parts attributable to changing the way pensions are financed (PAYG ⇒ prefunding) and to changing the way pensions are computed (DB ⇒ DC). We show that depending on the fiscal closure, the welfare effects differ substantially for the same pension system reform. The financing of the the pension system gap with public debt allows more intergenerational redistribution.

Retirement concerns and financial literacy in Brunei

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 342-365
Author(s):  
Pg Md Hasnol Alwee Pg Hj Md Salleh ◽  
Roslee Baha
Keyword(s):  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Home Ownership ◽  
Pension Reform ◽  
Defined Benefit ◽  
Defined Contribution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Advice ◽  
Knowing How ◽  
Retirement Plan

PurposeDespite the inclusion of financial literacy in retirement studies, there are limited studies that look into retirement concerns and how financial literacy plays a role in managing retirement concerns. Understanding retirement concerns prior to retirement is important given how it affects retirement satisfaction. Therefore, this paper aims at assessing the retirement concerns in Brunei and the role of financial literacy in managing those concerns.Design/methodology/approach700 government employees, divided into three groups, were interviewed: Defined Contribution Plan (DCP) employees retiring in the next 10–15 years, DCP employees retiring in 20–30 years' time and Defined Benefit Plan (DBP) employees retiring in the next 10 years. Pearson's chi-square tests and logistic regressions were used to ascertain significant relationships.FindingsThe results indicate the relatively younger DCP group is more likely to be financially literate compared to senior groups however, these respondents are more inclined to focus on private home ownership at this juncture. The findings also indicate the importance of knowing how much to save for retirement towards determining those with an additional retirement plan, and consequently reducing their retirement concerns. The value of financial advice is also significant in determining the amount to save for retirement and in possessing an additional retirement plan.Research limitations/implicationsResults cannot be generalised to the population, as purposive sampling was utilised due to the absence of a population frame.Practical implicationsThe implications of the paper may provide value to policymakers to consider approaches to enhance the quality of financial advice and provide sound knowledge in computing the amount needed for retirement. Understanding the role of financial literacy vis-à-vis retirement concerns may also be useful for neighbouring countries with similar socio-cultural aspects such as Malaysia.Originality/valueGiven the limited research on retirement concerns and financial literacy, this paper is one of the few to emphasise on the importance of knowing how much is needed to save for retirement, in relation to retirement concerns. This may also be useful in other countries/communities with similar retirement context such as those with relatively low retirement planning or with similar retirement schemes. Further, with the 1993 pension reform, there is no known publication on retirement concerns and expectations in Brunei. Left unchecked, it may lead to poverty in old age and/or dependency on welfare institutions and family support.

scholarly journals Contribution volatility and public pension reform

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
TRAVIS ST. CLAIR ◽  
JUAN PABLO MARTINEZ GUZMAN
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Pension System ◽  
Pension Reform ◽  
Pension Plans ◽  
Fiscal Sustainability ◽  
Economic Downturn ◽  
Defined Benefit ◽  
Defined Contribution ◽  
Unfunded Liabilities

AbstractIn the wake of the economic downturn of 2008–2009, researchers and policymakers have focused considerable attention on the extent of unfunded liabilities in US public sector pension plans and the implications for the long term fiscal sustainability of state and local governments. In response to the growth in liabilities, many states have introduced legislation that cuts back on defined benefit (DB) plan commitments, in some cases even shifting the pension system from a DB to a defined contribution or hybrid plan. This paper explores the factors that have led states to engage in pension reform, focusing particular attention on one factor that has only recently gained attention in the research literature: contribution volatility. While unfunded liabilities have significant long-term solvency implications, in the short term fluctuations in the amount of required contributions pose substantial difficulties for the ability of plan sponsors to balance budgets and engage in strategic planning. We begin by quantifying the volatility in the required contributions US states were expected to make between 2001 and 2013 and comparing the volatility of pension spending to other relevant tax and spending measures. Next, we describe the various types of pension reforms that states have implemented and examine the fiscal pressures facing those states that have engaged in reform. States with greater fluctuations in their required payments have been more likely to reduce benefits and increase employee contributions; they have also been more likely to institute these reforms sooner.

scholarly journals Informality and the Challenge of Pension Adequacy

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (149) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Christoph Freudenberg ◽  
Frederik Toscani
Keyword(s):  
Pension System ◽  
Pension Reform ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Defined Benefit ◽  
Defined Contribution ◽  
Real Rate ◽  
Labor Market Reform ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Term Labor ◽  
Pension Adequacy

Past reforms have put the Peruvian pension system on a largely fiscally sustainable path, but the system faces important challenges in providing adequate pension levels for a large share of the population. Using administrative microdata at the affiliate level, we project replacement rates in the defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) pillars over the next 30 years and simulate the impact of various reform scenarios on the average level and distribution of pensions. In the DB pillar, the regressive minimum contribution period should be re-thought, while in the DC pillar a broadening of the contribution base and/or an increase in contribution rates would help increase replacement rates relative to the baseline forecast of 25-33 percent. A higher net real rate of return than assumed in the baseline would also have a significant positive impact. In the medium-term, labor market reform to tackle informality, and a broad pension reform to restructure the system and avoid competition between the DB and DC pillars should be a priority. Given low pension coverage, having a strong non-contributory pillar will remain important for the foreseeable future.

GROWTH, PENSIONS, AND THE AGING JONESES

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter H. Fisher ◽  
Ben J. Heijdra
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Growth Rate ◽  
Pension System ◽  
Pension Reform ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Defined Benefit ◽  
Defined Contribution ◽  
Pension Policy ◽  
Balanced Growth

We incorporate keeping-up-with-the-Joneses (KUJ) preferences into the Blanchard–Yaari framework and develop a model of balanced growth. In this context we investigate status preference, demographic shocks, and pension policy. We find that a higher degree of KUJ lowers economic growth, whereas, in contrast, a decrease in the fertility and mortality rates increase it. In the second part of the paper we extend the model by incorporating a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pension system with a statutory retirement date. The latter implies that the growth rate is higher under PAYG. We also consider the implications of pension reform under both defined benefit and defined contribution schemes.

Pension Reforms in India: Unresolved Issues and Policy Choices

2003 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramesh Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Pension System ◽  
Pension Reform ◽  
Policy Issue ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Defined Benefit ◽  
Defined Contribution ◽  
Indian Government ◽  
Tax Subsidy ◽  
The Government

Ageing populations with increased life expectancy, low mortality rates, and decreasing and volatile returns in financial markets have made old age financial security difficult. Further, escalating costs of the pension system are forcing the Indian government to re- evaluate its programmes providing social security to its employees. The government has so far received three official reports (namely, OASIS, IRDA, and Bhattacharya) which have examined the issue and suggested several measures to provide a safety net to the ageing population. This paper examines the recommendations made in these reports and analyses the potential effects of them. It is organized around five policy questions: Should the reformed system create individual (funded defined-contribution) accounts or should it remain a single collective fund with a defined-benefit formula? The policy issue is who bears the risk - individual or society collectively. If individual accounts are adopted, should public or private agencies administer the reformed system? The issues that need to be resolved are: the magnitude of intermediation costs, agency problem (principal-agent fiduciary relationship), and the costs to administer the plan. Should fund managers of retirement savings be allowed to invest in a diversified portfolio that includes shares and private bonds? Equity markets are highly volatile and go through long periods of feasts and famine. Guarantees need to be provided in the form of minimum return or providing minimum basic pension on retirement and the bearer of these conjectural liabilities needs to be decided. What should be the level of government fiscal support in the form of tax subsidy, foregone tax collections, grants, administrative costs incurred by its agencies, and level of assumed contingent liabilities in case the government guarantees minimum pension? The crucial question is: how much and to whom is this subsidy accruing? Should the government move toward advance funding of its pension obligations for its employees or should these obligations continue to be financed on pay-as-you-go basis? The present problem in the government pension system is due to successive governments behaving like Santa Clauses ignoring the cost to the exchequer. Mere privatization would not be able to solve these problems. An all-embracing pension reform is not possible overnight. Efforts should be made to find ways of supporting new systems that may supplement existing systems. Suggested measures include: A tax-financed and means-tested system for lower income groups. To build second pillar, continue publicly managed public system for people earning less than Rs 6,500 a month; and for others who can bear the risk, appoint an independent regulator to help develop and supervise private sector in offering risk- return efficient pension products with tax subsidy already available under Section B0CCC. There is no moral justification in India for providing tax benefits to privileged groups to build third pillar. Government should refrain from frequent tinkering of tax laws to benefit a few. This paper also suggests specific fiscal and other measures for implementing a feasible and viable pension system in lndian conditions. For the present, the least that the government can do is to appoint an independent regulator who would also act as developer and make EPFO an independent agency having professional experts on its board.

The minimum pension as an instrument of poverty protection in the defined contribution pension system – an example of Poland*

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
AGNIESZKA CHŁOŃ-DOMIŃCZAK ◽  
PAWEŁ STRZELECKI
Keyword(s):  
Pension System ◽  
Wage Distribution ◽  
Defined Benefit ◽  
Defined Contribution ◽  
International Labour Organisation ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
The One ◽  
Changing Role ◽  
Minimum Pension

AbstractPension systems' reforms are often related to a shift towards (fully or partially) defined contribution (DC) systems, in which the pension distribution reflects to a larger extent the wage distribution. In addition, relatively shorter working lives of those who have lower earnings increase the risk of receiving lower benefits. The aim of the paper is to present the changing role of a minimum pension as a tool of redistribution in the country that replaced a defined benefit (DB) pension system with a DC pension system. The old system in Poland had a significant income redistribution in the pension formula and the minimum pension was only a tool supporting this redistribution. After the introduction of the new mandatory pension system the main mechanism of redistribution (and a tool of social policy preventing poverty) is the minimum pension, financed from general taxes. According to the current rule of indexation, the minimum pension is expected to fall relative to the average wage in the economy. According to our simulations, the lack of changes of the current indexation method means that the minimum pension will fall below the International Labour Organisation (ILO) standard of the poverty protection of elderly by mid 2020s and in practice the last instrument of the poverty protection of elderly is going to disappear. However, the sole decision to change the indexation mechanism to the one based on full wage can create a significant pressure on public finance and distort incentives for prolonging work as 45% of women would be probably covered by the minimum pension guarantee (MPG). Results of simulations show that a raise and equalization of the retirement age for men and women combined with keeping a constant ratio of the minimum pension to the average (and also minimum) wage in the economy can be considered as a balanced solution that assures no further reduction of poverty protection and effective maintaining of this redistribution instrument.

scholarly journals Problematic aspects of the regulatory and legislative framework for calculating pensions in Ukraine

2019 ◽  
pp. 71-80
Author(s):  
Lina Diakovych
Keyword(s):  
Pension System ◽  
Pension Reform ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Retirement Age ◽  
European Economic Area ◽  
Defined Contribution ◽  
Average Life Expectancy ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
State Pension ◽  
Pension Payments

Introduction. In order to further move towards the European Economic Area, Ukraine needs to take pension reform measures. Pension provision in Ukraine has to be profoundly reformed in terms of regulatory and legislative framework for calculating pensions in Ukraine. What is of particular importance is improving Ukraine’s laws and methods for calculation and pension payments to citizens. Another important focus of the reform agenda is to define categories of people eligible for old-age pensions, disability pensions, and long- service pensions. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to interpret the regulatory and legislative framework for calculating pensions in Ukraine; to describe changes in pension payments before and after the reform was implemented; to highlight ways of improving pension payments in terms of regulations and legislation. Methods. The research methods used in the article include: analysis; comparison; historical method to consider the legislative framework for calculating pensions at different periods of time. Results. The regulatory and legal framework for calculating pensions in Ukraine is a complex system comprising the Constitution of Ukraine, the Laws of Ukraine, the Labour Code of Ukraine, decrees, Presidential decrees, International agreements and laws of the USSR. Some of these regulations and legislation need to be revised and amended in order to bring them in line with contemporary practices and modern standards. It is claimed that since 2017, Ukraine’s government has been implementing the pension reform aimed at relieving the pressure on the working-age population and improving living standards for retired people. In particular, the retirement age has been raised, eligibility criteria for preferential pensions have been revised, and methods for calculating pensions have been changed. The Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine argues that the new pension reform is expected to enhance social, labour and post-retirement relations, to increase tax revenues through reporting real salaries, to develop a framework of social justice when calculating pensions. The author points out that the regulatory and legislative framework for calculating pensions is outdated at this stage and it requires changes. The considered changes are as follows: the establishment of a working group for entitlement of preferential pensions; the introduction of wage differentials by industries and occupations; the increase of pensions in line with inflation and age; the implementation of notional defined contribution pension system; the introduction of the new Labour Code and Pension Code, which are expected to regulate labour and post-retirement relations and meet modern standards. It is also indicated that continued employment should be enforced by legislation and a system of granting advantages and social security benefits to those who retire later needs to be developed. In terms of legislation, sufficient regard should be given to non-state pension schemes, defined contribution pension systems, and the principle of fairness when it comes to pension entitlements. It is also crucial to adjust pension amounts and retirement age to align with the sustainability ratio and the average life expectancy. Discussion. Further research of regulatory and legal framework for calculating pensions in Ukraine should be focused on the development of the Pension Code and improvement of the existing laws relative to pension calculation and payment. The author also suggests differentiating minimum wages by industries and regions and countering the illicit labour market and campaigning against payments ‘in envelope’, because official wages are the basis for calculating pensions.

scholarly journals Pension reform in Hungary

2001 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Gedeon
Keyword(s):  
Pension System ◽  
Pension Reform ◽  
Political Process ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Path Dependency ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
Economic Constraints ◽  
The Postponement

Reforms are not created simply by will, they are constrained by path dependency and also by existing economic and political structures. The course of reforms is also dependent on the formulation of reform alternatives and the balance of power among decisive actors. Both the postponement and then the introduction of the pension reform in Hungary can be explained by the economic and political constraints of the reform, by how reform alternatives were formulated, and by the role of the different actors in the reform process. The structure of this paper reflects these considerations. First, I summarize the characteristics of the socialist pension system that partly created path dependency in the process of pension reform. Second, I look at the economics of pension reform, by discussing the economic constraints of the reforms, and presenting the economic aspects of reform arguments and economic policies modifying and changing the pension system. Third, I examine the politics of the pension reform, and describe the political process of bargaining that generated reform outcomes. Finally, I deal with the role of the World Bank that was the most important international actor in the Hungarian pension reform process.

scholarly journals You Win Some, You Lose Some: Pension Reform in Bachelet’s First and Second Administrations

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Borzutzky
Keyword(s):  
Political Ideology ◽  
Pension System ◽  
Pension Reform ◽  
Presidential Power ◽  
Pension Policy ◽  
The Will ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Government Coalition

This article analyses and compares President Bachelet’s successful efforts to reform the Chilean pension system in 2008 and her failure to achieve the same objective in 2017. The article addresses the impact of electoral promises, policy legacies, policy ideology, presidential power, the role of the private sector, and the role that the government coalitions had in the process of pension reform during the Bachelet administrations. We argue that the 2008 reform was possible because of Bachelet’s personal commitment to reform and the presence of a stable governing coalition that had the will and capacity to legislate. In the second administration, although the policy legacies and ideology had remained the same, the reform did not materialise due to intense conflict within the administration and within the government coalition, as well as conflict between the administration and the coalition. These conflicts, in turn, generated a vicious cycle responsible for Bachelet’s declining popularity, limited political capital, and reduced support for reform. A stagnant economy further undermined these efforts. In brief, this article argues that when assessing success and failure in pension policy reform it is important to analyse not only policy legacies and political ideology but also the strength of the executive, the cohesion of the governing coalition, and the country’s economic performance.

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