This study aims to analyze the contribution of the minimum wage valorization policy to the reduction in poverty that occurred in the first decade of the 21st century in Brazil, considering not only the incidence of poverty but also its intensity and severity. A decomposition methodology was used...

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...

Die Rentenreformen zu Beginn dieses Jahrhunderts hinterlassen zunehmend Spuren. Das Rentenniveau sinkt kräftig. Gegenüber 1989 ergibt sich bereits heute eine Senkung um knapp 14 Prozent. Vorgesehen sind weitere Absenkungen mit der Folge einer drohenden Altersarmut insbesondere für...

A much higher old-age dependency ratio together with more generous pension benefits will lead to a substantial increase in the future pension burden in Norway. The challenges of financing the increasing pension expenditures depend on the development in demographic characteristics like fertility,...

Welfare states redistribute both between individuals reducing annual inequality and over the life-cycle insuring against income risks. But studies measuring redistribution often focus only on a one-year period. Using German SOEP data from 1984 to 2009, long-term inequality over a 20-year period...

This paper investigates how government transfers affect economic growth. Using meta-analysis techniques, we systematically review 24 primary studies with 164 estimates that examine the effect of government transfers on economic growth. After addressing heterogeneity and issues of publication...

Employment to population ratios differ markedly across Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, especially for people aged over 55 years. In addition, social security features differ markedly across the OECD, particularly with respect to features such as...

Few social security disability insurance (DI) beneficiaries return to the labor force, making it hard to assess their likely employment in the absence of benefits. Using administrative data, I examine the employment of individuals who lost DI eligibility after the 1996 removal of drug and...

The pension reforms of the beginning of this century left their marks. The pension level has dropped sharply. Compared with 1989 results suggest a reduction of almost 14 percent nowadays. Further reductions are announced with the consequence of threatening old age poverty particularly for low...

In this paper, we model an overlapping generation economy affected by an unexpected immigration shock and determine how households may insure themselves against “immigration risk”. We use the model to study the impact of immigration on (i) the welfare of different generations, (ii) the...