December 2019

Pakistan. PMYAP ‘Social Protection’ programme to provide social security, legal aid to youth

Prime Minister Youth Affairs Programme (PMYAP)has worked out its first comprehensive “Social Protection” programme aimed to provide social security and legal aid to the youth facing community issues and conflicts. A PMYAP official told APP, the programme would provide protection and security to the youth who were indulged in drug addiction and other wrong practices leaving their household in pathetic condition adding,“It would create awareness among the youngsters to prevent from social evils and wrong practices and would also...

A Look at France’s Heated Debate Over Pensions

The planned overhaul of the French pensions system aims to streamline a complicated patchwork of provisions, but workers argue it will require them to work longer and will reduce their income. The heated debate over the changes to the retirement system are laid bare in the nationwide strike and protests taking place Thursday. The popular discontent will test the resolve of the government of President Emmanuel Macron, who says it remains determined to pass the reform next year. Here's a look at...

Strike paralyses France as unions protest pension overhaul

A nationwide strike brought much of France to a standstill on Thursday as tens of thousands hit the streets to protest a pension overhaul by President Emmanuel Macron, which unions say will force millions of people to work longer or face curtailed benefits. Read also A Look at France’s Heated Debate Over Pensions Trains, metros and buses, as well as some flights, were cancelled while most schools were closed or only assuring daycare services, forcing many parents to find alternatives...

November 2019

The Effect of Aging on the Age-wage Profile

By Toshikatsu Inoue Despite its importance, many macroeconomic models do not capture the changes in the age-wage profile over time. The flattening of the age-wage profile in Japan and the relative increase in the aging workforce suggests the existence of demand law in relative labor inputs and wages of each age, which is abstracted from the standard macroeconomic model. In this study, we build a model using the aggregate production function that creates a downward slope labor demand curve....

How Much Should the Poor Save for Retirement? Data and Simulations on Retirement Income Adequacy Among Low-Earning Households

By Andrew G. Biggs Both policymakers and members of the public are concerned regarding the adequacy of U.S. households’ retirement savings. In response, proposals have been made to expand Social Security benefits and to establish state government-run retirement plans for private sector employees. In both cases, the largest effects would be on low-earning households, who currently have low rates of retirement plan coverage and participation and who rely heavily upon Social Security benefits in retirement. However, there has been...

The Retirement Researcher Manifesto – Part One

As I have attempted to summarize the key messages and themes that have underscored my writing and research, I find that the following eight guidelines serve as a manifesto for my approach to retirement income planning. It is helpful to start with these guidelines because I will ultimately talk about how to implement these guidelines in practice. Play the long game Retirement income plan should be based on planning to live, not planning to die. A long life will...

Pensions at a Glance 2019

By OECD The 2019 edition of Pensions at a Glance highlights the pension reforms undertaken by OECD countries over the last two years. Moreover, two special chapters focus on non-standard work and pensions in OECD countries, take stock of different approaches to organising pensions for non-standard workers in the OECD, discuss why non-standard work raises pension issues and suggest how pension settings could be improved. This edition also updates information on the key features of pension provision in OECD countries and...

NEPAL: Government pension scrapping plan

A plan by the Nepali Government to propose legislation depriving retired Public Servants of their pensions if they criticise the Government has caused a storm in the country’s Parliament. Minister of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Lalbabu Pandit told a meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee (SAGCC) that the Government was in favour of the measure. “We will deprive retired Civil Servants of their pensions if they are convicted of any criminal offence or crime against...

The People’s Money: Pensions, Debt, and Government Services;Urban Agenda

By Michael A Pagano American cities continue to experience profound fiscal crises. Falling revenues cannot keep pace with the increased costs of vital public services, infrastructure development and improvement, and adequately funded pensions. Chicago presents an especially vivid example of these issues, as the state of Illinois's rocky fiscal condition compounds the city's daunting budget challenges. In The People's Money, Michael A. Pagano curates a group of essays that emerged from discussions at the 2018 UIC Urban Forum. The...

Millions Of Kenyans Missing Out On Pension Schemes, Warns NSSF

About 15 million Kenyans who are eligible to make saving towards retirement benefits are not enrolled with any pension scheme, the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has revealed. The Fund’s Managing Trustee Antony Omerikwa observed that most pension schemes registered by the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) focused on covering employees of state corporations, companies and individual owned organizations. Omerikwa stated that though the bulk of Kenyans were engaged in the informal sector, pension schemes in the country had done little to...