"Means-tested retirement benefits create strong disincentives to work and to save prior to retirement. This article outlines the structure of means-tested benefits in the UK and the USA, and reviews the theoretical and empirical evidence of their incentive effects." Copyright (c) 2008 The Author.

"Public pay-as-you-go pension systems induce low fertility rates, which in turn contribute to the insolvency of those very systems. They have replaced the old-age security motive for having children, which is a major factor behind fertility in their absence. They also penalise fertility by...

"Nigeria is a prime example of a developing country with ill-defined property rights. However, people still manage to save, mostly through traditional and informal means, facilitated by strong family and community institutions. This paper argues that the government should concentrate on...

The object of all economic enquiry is the human person under the aspect of behaviour within limited resources. Consequently the truth of any economic theory ultimately hinges on the truth of its philosophy of man. This essay analyses modern economic thought from two perspectives: firstly, from...