Individual Choice in Social Protection : The Case of Swiss Pensions

In most OECD countries, the structure of the pension system does not give much potential for individual choice. The Swiss pension system is a particularly interesting case in this respect. Switzerland relies heavily on privately-managed, fully-funded pensions, which employers are obliged to provide. The employees have only a very limited range of individual choice within this system and there has been increasing political pressure to give members more control over their benefits. More choice would increase competition among funds, lead to higher returns on investment of pension funds, improve customer services and result in higher member satisfaction due to more tailored benefit packages. This paper examines the choices currently available to members of occupational pension schemes in Switzerland and how they are making use of these options. It goes on to consider which expansions in choice might be desirable and what obstacles may be in the way of such changes. A particular ...