Eastern enlargement of the EU promises gains, but also imposes fiscal costs on incumbent countries. A sensitive issue concerns immigration, jobs and wages. We address these issues in a general equilibrium framework, both analytically and through numerical simulations. Analytical results identify...

Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pension schemes are becoming increasingly unsustainable in the face of drastic population aging. Simultaneously, the contribution rates may aggravate an already serious unemployment problem. A regime switch to a funded system could help to alleviate the unemployment problem...