This paper uses stochastic simulations on calibrated models to assess the steady state impact of different pension arrangements in an environment where financial markets are less than perfect. Surprisingly little is known about the optimal split between funded and unfunded systems when there are...

The main aim of this paper is to to analyse the impact of shifting demographics and changes in pension arrangements in a model which includes housing both as an investment asset and a consumption good. We consider the impact on welfare, and on macroeconomic aggregates, of some specific pension...

If low and stable inflation is maintained then the economic environment in the United Kingdom will be very different from any sustained period in the post-war era. This may have significant implications for financial markets: asset prices, the demand and supply for various types of financial...

This paper uses data on the stock market valuations of a large sample of UK companies to assess if that market displays short-termism. Tests are undertaken of whether discount rates, implicit in market valuations, applied to cash flows which accrue in the longer term are too high, both...

In this paper we assess the recent history of house prices and of mortgage lending across Europe. We develop a simple economic framework to estimate the likely contributions of fundamental factors, such as changes in real incomes and population growth, to house price appreciation. We also try to...

This paper explores the impacts on an economy of a central bank changing the size and composition of its balance sheet. One of the ways in which such asset purchases could influence prices and demand is via portfolio balance effects. We develop and calibrate a simple OLG model in which...

This book provides a comprehensive appraisal of social security in Japan, where traditionally the burden of welfare provision has been the main responsibility of the family and employers, rather than the state. However, an ageing population, changes in family structure and continued recession...