We provide a long term perspective on the individual retirement behavior and on the future of retirement by emphasizing the role of (negative) income effects. We consider a political economic theoretical framework, with actuarial "fair" and "unfair" early retirement schemes, and derive a...

We provide a long-term perspective on the individual retirement behaviour and on the future of retirement. In a Markovian political economic theoretical framework, in which incentives to retire early are embedded, we derive a political equilibrium with positive social security contribution rates...

The dramatic rise in the US social security and public health expenditure is only partially explained by the demographic trend, and may be due to the political complementarity between these two programs. We suggest that public health care increases the political constituency in favor of social...

Why are Bismarckian social security systems associated with larger public pension expenditures, a smaller fraction of private pension and lower income in-equality than Beveridgean systems? These facts are puzzling for political economy theories of social security which predict that Beveridgean...

Chile approved in early 2008 the replacement of her two current non-contributory subsidies for the old poor for a unified program with a pioneering design, with phase-in ending in 2012. This paper describes the political economy of this reform and evaluates it with regards to efficiency and...

In der Juniausgabe 2021 veröffentlichte der Wirtschaftsdienst einen Aufsatz mit dem Titel "Beitragsfinanzierung im "demografiegestressten" Rentensystem möglich" von Ernst Niemeier. Martin Werding vertritt in einer Replik eine andere Auffassung, im Anschluss erläutert Ernst Niemeier seinen...

Die Reform der gesetzlichen Rentenversicherung kann spätestens mit der Einführung derRiesterrente als gescheitert bezeichnet werden. Sie sichert nicht den Lebensstandardund drängt viele Rentenbezieher in die Altersarmut. Zu diesem Ergebnis tragen neben derreformbedingten Absenkung des...

Aufgrund bestehender und sich weiter verstärkender Altersarmut steht der Reformbedarf der Leistungsseite der Gesetzlichen Rentenversicherung (GRV) im Zentrum der wissenschaftlichen und politischen Diskussion. Im Fokus stehen dabei Personen mit lückenhaften Erwerbsbiographien und niedrigen...

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...