Depending on the design of the domestic pension system and the type of immigrants, voters will decide differently on immigration policy. In this paper, we investigate the voting outcome of three groups of heterogenous voters (skilled workers, unskilled workers, and retirees) under Beveridgian or...

This paper revisits the role played by myopia in generating a theoretical rationale for pay-as-you-go social security in dynamically efficient economies. Contrary to received wisdom, if the real interest rate is exogenously fixed, enough myopia may justify public pensions but never alongside...

Durch die Rentenreformen der vergangenen Jahre ist bereits einiges erreicht worden, was die Belastungen der heute noch jungen und zukünftiger Generationen verringert. Der Anstieg dieser Belastungen durch hohe Beitragssätze und hohe "implizite Steuern" des Rentensystems muss aber noch weiter...

Nachdem 96 Jahre lang die Regelaltersgrenze in der gesetzlichen Rentenversicherung unverändert bei 65 Jahren lag, wird diese in den kommenden Jahren schrittweise auf 67 Jahre angehoben. In der öffentlichen Diskussion wird der Rente mit 67 immer wieder eine rentensenkende Wirkung attestiert....

This paper starts out with a brief discussion of the historical background, the justifications and the political forces behind the built up of the modern welfare state. It also summarizes its major achievements in terms of economic efficiency and redistribution. The paper also tries to identify...

Population aging will be a major determinant of long-run economic development in industrial and developing countries. The extent of the demographic changes is dramatic in some countries and will deeply affect future labor, financial and goods markets. The expected strain on public budgets and...

As his new term begins, President George W. Bush has been trying to focus his domestic agenda on what he calls the ownership society, a sweeping vision of an America in which more citizens would hold significant assets and be free to make their own choices about providing for their health care...

Social protection systems in developing countries are typically composed of a bundle of benefits, the major ones being health insurance and pensions. Benefit bundling may increase informality and decrease welfare. Indeed, if some of the benefits are valued at substantially less than their cost,...