This paper provides detailed empirical evidence on the saving behavior of Irish households using micro data from the 1994/95 and 1999/2000 Household Budget Surveys. I employ synthetic cohort techniques to characterize the life cycle profile of saving rates and to examine the response of...

With a modest recovery in the global economy underway, and amid rising concerns about the sharp increase in government debt in several countries, debate has increasingly focused on the need to identify and implement fiscal exit strategies. This paper reviews the medium-term plans of 25 countries...

The ageing of the population in the economically more developed countries poses great challenges for the adequacy and sustainability of pension systems. Public, mainly pay-as-yougo social security pensions will not provide for an adequate retirement income in the future. One solution is to...

Low contribution levels to pension schemes in Latin America are an enormous obstacle limiting the implementation of a broad-based social security system. Contribution rates measured as a ratio of contributors to the total labour force stand at an average of 40%, or 60% in the best of cases....

Matching defined contribution schemes are gaining popularity in both rich and poor countries as a promising means to reduce gaps in the participation in formal pension systems.