It has been shown in economic research that public pay-as-you-go defined-benefit pension plans penalize those who continue to work beyond a certain age by reducing the present discounted value of future retirement benefits. In discussions on the effectiveness of policies aimed at eliminating...

This article has a twofold objective and addresses two central questions. Is there a gap between the preferences for and availability of various ways to make working patterns more flexible over the life course? What is the role of life course policy (LCP) in narrowing this gap? Using the...

There are two aims to this paper: firstly, to provide an objective technical assessment of the current situation of the contributory pension system in Spain and its prospects for the future, and secondly, to look at the issues surrounding the introduction of a system of notional defined...

This paper will try to explain the “annuities puzzle” in greater depth by introducing the bequest motive, both strategic and altruistic. It will try to determine whether this motive really is a relevant feature influencing the demand for lifetime annuities by married couples. With this aim...

The main objective of this paper is to go deeper into the “annuity puzzle” by introducing the altruistic and strategic bequest motive and determining whether this really is a relevant factor affecting the theoretical decision to purchase life annuities. With this end in view we develop an...

Paper presents a survey of five different approaches to retirement decision analysis. Simple life cycle labour supply model leads to a classical optimization problem of choice between work and leisure, but it is highly limited in explaining retirement decision as a static approach. Comparative...

This publication is a non-technical report prepared for Polish Ministry of Economy and Labor. The main goal is to present a comprehensive statistical and econometric analysis of employment, unemployment and participation in Poland in the period 1998-2004 and confront Polish experiences with...

When it comes to retirement income policy, there is a general perception that workers have full 40-year working careers before retiring. Further, it is generally assumed that workers with low lifetime earnings have low earnings in each year during a normal working career. The basic research...

That the Government of Mauritius provides nearly every resident over the age of 60 with a non-contributory, basic pension is one of the best-kept secrets in the world. The scheme dates from 1950 and became universal in 1958, following abolition of a means test. Remarkably, introduction of a...

Most workers in developing countries have no access to pensions in old age. Well-intentioned reformers have concentrated on privatization, but this does nothing to expand coverage. Non-contributory, universal pensions automatically protect an entire population, in a way that contributory...