Why another study of Massachusetts state government? In the past year, two Commissions established by the Governor have submitted reports, nonprofit citizen groups have come forth with lists of suggested reforms, and the legislature has had its own proposals. The goal of the study described here...

Examines the theoretical rationale for wealth transfer taxes, discusses data on the distribution and accumulation of wealth, and reviews the experience of the United States and other countries under their existing systems. Because a substantial portion of the existing stock of wealth is...

There have been many proposals for restoring financial balance to Social Security; this article presents a strong case for retaining the current defined benefit system and not replacing a portion or all of Social Security with a system of individual accounts.

Detroit's bankruptcy and Chicago's financial problems and large unfunded pension liabilities have attracted national concern. The question is whether cities across the country are about to topple like dominoes—and whether pensions are the problem. The answer, the authors write, appears to be...

The Oxford Handbook of Pensions and Retirement Income is the only comprehensive review available of the latest research, policy-related tools, analytical methods and techniques, and major theoretical frameworks and principles of pension and retirement income. Featuring over forty contributions...

Public pension funding has recently become a front-burner policy issue in the wake of the financial crisis and given the pending retirement of large numbers of baby boomers. This paper examines the current funding of state and local pensions using a sample of 126 plans, estimating an aggregate...