In the last issue of Intereconomics, a first article by the present authors looked into the measures that central banks have taken in support of the financial sector in an effort to mitigate the effects of the financial crisis. This second article describes the measures taken by governments to...

The extensive public sector measures in support of the financial sector have been key to managing the financial crisis that erupted in mid-2007 and intensified after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. This article looks into the measures taken by central banks to contain the impact of the...

To what extent a pension system can be judged fair given structural differences in life expectancy across socioeconomic groups is not straightforward and will depend on the exact design of the system and other social policies in place, and how these policies interact with the pension system.

The long-term financing of social security faces considerable problems which give rise to the question whether wages can and should continue to serve as the only assessment basis for social security contributions. The calculation of, at least, the employers' contributions on a broader value...