The use of selective benefits, directed to those considered most in need, has a high 'poverty reduction efficiency'. But selectivity inevitably produces non-linearities in the budget constraints facing individuals, which may have incentive effects. The design of a tax and transfer scheme...

The redistributive impact of the U.K. state pension scheme is examined. Benefit-cost ratios are calculated using individual lifetime earnings profiles constructed for a cohort of men drawn from cross-section data. The scheme is investigated at maturity and revenue neutrality is imposed in order...

This paper considers the recent shift towards private provision of social security in the United Kingdom, as part of the "twin-pillar" approach of the Conservative government. Emphasis is on the encouragement of personal and occupational pensions, rather than public provision, above a basic...