Privatization of public pension schemes, partial or complete, is on the political agenda in many countries. In the Netherlands, the discussion focuses on second-pillar pension schemes. Although these schemes are funded, they feature intergenerational risk sharing. This paper documents the...

The credit crisis has reduced the funding ratios of Dutch pension funds to a historical minimum. Pension funds now face two challenges. The first is to timely restore funding ratios to safe levels without jeopardizing labour market conditions that also have worsened because of the crisis. The...

Growing pension savings lead to deeper capital markets. This can have a positive effect on economic growth by allowing firms that are more dependent on external finance to grow faster. We study this effect using data on 69 industrial sectors in 34 OECD countries for the period 2001-2010 through...