December 2023

Overview of social protection systems in Latin America and the Caribbean: Progress and setbacks in the face of the pandemic

By International Labour Organization The crisis triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak has exposed the gap that persists in the region to achieve comprehensive protection systems, based on a social protection floor which guarantees for universal access to health and economic security over the life cycle. Social protection coverage in Latin America evolved positively in the decade before the pandemic. Contributing members to the system increased by 14 per cent over the 2012-2019 period and the ratio of contributing workers to the employed population was 46.9...

Recent developments in social pensions in Latin America

By International Social Security Association Non-contributory pensions, also known as social pensions, are an important component of rights-based universal social protection systems. They allow extending pension coverage relatively rapidly to elderly persons who are not covered by contributory schemes. Usually financed by general revenues and providing relatively modest benefits, eligibility for social pensions is often conditional on low income or certain other criteria. The right to social protection, including old age income security, is enshrined in various national constitutions and legal...

November 2023

US. Low earners need more retirement income

Social Security alone is simply not enough, new Vanguard study confirms People often assume that the retirement needs of low-wage workers are covered by Social Security's progressive benefit formula. That assessment has never been correct. Social Security was never intended to be the sole source of income for any group of retirees. Social Security replacement rates -- benefits as a percentage of preretirement earnings -- fall far below the generally accepted benchmarks. Low earners are more likely to claim early, which results...

October 2023

Nigeria. Informal sector workers demand social protection

The Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria has canvassed for social protection for informal workers, noting that over 90 per cent of Nigerians are engaged in the sector. The call was made by delegates at the 2nd Delegates Conference of the Federation of Informal Workers’ Organisations of Nigeria held recently in Lagos. The union argued that government policies have led to the collapse of many industries in the formal sector over the years. This has led to rapid expansion of the...

September 2023

Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean: social protection and quality of life of older persons

By Natalia Aranco, Mariano Bosch, Marco Stampini, Oliver Azuara Herrera, Laura Goyeneche, Pablo Ibarrarán, Deborah Oliveira, Maria Torre Retana Reyes, William D. Savedoff & Eric Torres Ramírez  In this report, we analyze older persons quality of life in Latin America and the Caribbean, its relationship with social protection policies, and how these policies must adapt to respond to population aging. We create a measure of quality of life of older persons which combines healthy life expectancy and income security. For...

August 2023

Bangladesh enters the era of universal pension

Bangladesh has launched a universal pension scheme to bring four types of citizens under a sustainable and organised social security system. “From now on, professionals from every economic stratum will receive pensions, which will eliminate social disparity,” said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as she inaugurated the scheme on Thursday. Anyone aged over 18 years and not holding a government job will be eligible for the pension plan by paying a regular premium. Expatriates can also avail themselves of the service. The...

July 2023

China to expand national pilot project for hospice care, further improve humanistic care for elderly with an aging society

China will expand its national pilot project for hospice care with a third batch of pilot areas, further improving humanistic care for the elderly and the terminally ill across the country, a move to cope with the nation's rapidly aging population. China's National Health Commission (NHC) has issued a notice announcing the third batch of places, which include three provincial-level places - Beijing, East China's Zhejiang, Central China's Hunan - and another 61 cities or districts such as Nankai district...

May 2023

A zoom into Asia’s pension reform journey: different perspectives of a multi-pillar approach

By Calvin Chiu & Elvin Tharm Pension reform in Asia is progressing as the region faces numerous challenges: ageing populations, rising life expectancy and the erosion of traditional family and community support for the elderly. While the traditional state-provided pension may provide one potential source of retirement income, Manulife Investment Management believes that a comprehensive multi-pillar approach, such as that outlined by the World Bank, should be the best way forward. In this initial paper of a new series on...

China continues to raise basic pension payments for retirees

China announced Monday that it will raise the basic pension payments for retirees in 2023, marking 19th consecutive annual increase. The average monthly payment for pensioners of enterprises, government agencies and public institutions is set to be lifted by 3.8 percent from the 2022 level, according to a circular jointly issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Ministry of Finance. Last year, China raised the basic pension payments for retirees by 4 percent from level of...

Access to Pensions, Old-Age Support, and Child Investment in the People’s Republic of China

By Xiaoyue Shan & Albert Park This paper studies how access to public pensions affects old-age support and child investment in traditional societies. Guided by predictions from an overlapping generations model, we analyze the influences of a new pension program in rural People’s Republic of China, using a difference-in-differences approach. We find that the program crowds out transfers from working-age adults, especially men, to their elderly parents. Interestingly, the impact on child investment significantly differs by child gender. While adult...