Drivers of pension reform measures in the OECD

a column for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal by Roel Beetsma, Ward Romp and Ron van Maurik

Population ageing means that many current pension regimes are unsustainable, but the timing of pension reform measures is a political as well as an economic decision. This column uses new data on OECD pension reforms since 1970 to show that their timing has not been driven by projected demographic developments or political change, but by the state of the economy at the time when reforms were legislated. Pension systems have expanded more frequently during booms, and have contracted during economic downturns.

Continue reading and discover that proper planning based on fact does not exist. Did I ever think it did? Probably not having spent 22 years on "the other side of the counter". What was the point of gathering all those statistics if the end result is chaos?

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Retirement income and assets: …

implications for retirement income of government policies to extend working lives

 a discussion paper by Daniela Silcock, Daniel Redwood and Chris Curry published by the Pensions Policy Institute © April 2012 ISBN 9-781-90628-422-0

Table of Contents (in lieu of an abstract)

• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• What are the current patterns of work and retirement in the UK?
• What are the implications of the government’s extending working lives policy agenda?
• What can we learn from international experience of similar policies?
• How much longer might individuals need to work and save in order to meet target levels of retirement income?
• How might different patterns of work and retirement impact the pension income of individuals?
• Appendix – Modelling analysis
• Acknowledgements and contact details
• References

Full text (PDF 92pp) NB: Crown Copyright is asserted on the final page of the document. I assume that you may print a single copy for private study.

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