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...

As the population ages there will be potentially significant implications for a wide range of economic variables, including in particular the fiscal costs of social expenditures. Long-term fiscal planning requires estimates of the possible future path of public spending. This article presents...