February 2017

Pensions at a Glance (Edition 2016)

By OECD The Pensions at a Glance database includes reliable and internationally comparable statistics on public and mandatory and voluntary pensions. It covers 34 OECD countries and aims to cover all G20 countries. Pensions at a Glance reviews and analyses the pension measures enacted or legislated in OECD countries. It provides an in-depth review of the first layer of protection of the elderly, first-tier pensions across countries and provideds a comprehensive selection of pension policy indicators for all OECD and...

Social security, pensions and old age adults’ poverty in Mexico.

By Araceli Damián After discussing the role of pension systems in capitalism as instruments of redistribution of income between capital and labor and, therefore, of the class struggle, it is recounted how, in a context of a fragmented and inconclusive Welfare State, pension systems emerged in Mexico, and recent reforms to pension systems are analyzed, showing their impact in the reduction of benefits. Lastly, the poverty of the population of retirement age is analyzed in relation to their access to...

January 2017

IDA at 65: Heading Toward Retirement or a Fragile Lease on Life? – Working Paper 246

By Todd Moss and Benjamin Leo - As the concessionary lending window of the World Bank, the International Development Association (IDA) has provided grants and low-interest loans to the world's poorest countries for over 50 years. IDA funds projects that address many of the problems associated with slower growth in developing countries related to primary education, basic health services, clean water supply and sanitation, environmental safeguards, business-climate improvements, infrastructure, and institutional reforms. However, looking to the future, IDA's operations will likely be substantially...

Identification for Development: The Biometrics Revolution – Working Paper 315

By Alan Gelb and Julia Clark - Formal identification is a prerequisite for development in the modern world. The inability to authenticate oneself when interacting with the state—or with private entities such as banks—inhibits access to basic rights and services, including education, formal employment, financial services, voting, social transfers, and more. Unfortunately, under documentation is pervasive in the developing world. Civil registration systems are often absent or cover only a fraction of the population. In contrast, people in rich countries...