It is generally accepted that moving from an unfunded to a funded social security sys- tem implies a welfare loss for the transition generation, that is the generation that has to pay twice: first, saving for its own retirement and second, contributing to the pensions of the then retired...

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical evaluation of theoretical models showing that shifting from pay-as-you-go to funded social security schemes can be made Pareto-improving. Further, it argues that what often makes a reform toward funded schemes attractive is a number of...