We analyze the impact of increased pension uncertainties on saving and retirement decisions, both in isolated and in joint decision problems. In the absence of other risks, saving is increased and retirement is delayed when social security pensions get more risky. If saving and retirement...

A relatively high labor-intensity in government-run entities need not imply slack in their organization. Rather, it is a rational reaction to various forms of wage tax advantage that the public sector has over private firms. Even though an unequal tax treatment of public and private sectors...

According to many observers, the world is currently getting riskier along many of its dimensions. In this paper we analyse how the welfare state, i.e., social insurance that works through redistributive taxation, should deal with this trend. We distinguish between risks that can be insured by...