Universal Pensions in Low Income Countries

Most workers in developing countries have no access to pensions in old age. Well-intentioned reformers have concentrated on privatization, but this does nothing to expand coverage. Non-contributory, universal pensions automatically protect an entire population, in a way that contributory pensions - public or private - never can. This paper explores the feasibility of introducing such pensions in low-income countries. October 2004 revised and expanded edition of the September 2001 paper. Initiative for Policy Dialogue Working Paper No. IPD-01-05.