Welfare state interventions shape our life courses in almost all of their multiply linked domains. In this introduction, we sketch how cross-nationally comparative retrospective data can be fruitfully employed to better understand these links and the long-run effects of the welfare state at the...

Thanks to the reform process between 1992 and 2007, Germany was in a very good position to master demographic change. These reforms were farsighted, they stabilised the public pension system and they significantly increased employment, the foundation of every old age provision. The 'Pension...

German pension policy faces a dilemma. If it is too generous, it harms contributors, disincentivises labour supply, and crowds out education and infrastructure investment needed to pay for social protection. If it is too frugal, it harms those with social and health issues. Thus, smart...