Pensions at a Glance 2019 OECD and G20 Indicators


Book Description

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.




A state pension for the 21st century


Book Description

In this document the Government is looking at options for delivering a simpler and fairer state pension which rewards those who save for their retirement and is sustainable for future generations. The consultation is on two broad options for reform of the state pension, and the most appropriate mechanism for determining future changes to state pension age. The four guiding principles for pension reform are: personal responsibility; fairness; simplicity; affordability and sustainability. The options for reform of the state pension are: (1) faster flat rate or (2) a single tier pension. Currently the basic state pension is a flat-rate payment of £97.65 a week and the state second pension is partly flat rate and partly linked to earnings, such that higher earners receive a higher state pension. Option 1 would accelerate reforms so that the state second pension becomes fully flat rate by 2020 instead of the early 2030s. At the end of the transition those with a full contribution record - about 30 years - would receive the full pension, in two tiers, currently estimated at about £140 a week. Option 2 is a more radical approach, combining the two existing pensions into one single-tier pension. Future pensioners with at least 30 qualifying years would receive the same flat-rate pension currently estimated at £140 a week. This payment would be set above the basic level of support provided by Pension Credit. There are also two options for changing state pension age: through a formula linked to life expectancy; through a regular review.




Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa


Book Description

In sub-Saharan Africa, older people make up a relatively small fraction of the total population and are supported primarily by family and other kinship networks. They have traditionally been viewed as repositories of information and wisdom, and are critical pillars of the community but as the HIV/AIDS pandemic destroys family systems, the elderly increasingly have to deal with the loss of their own support while absorbing the additional responsibilities of caring for their orphaned grandchildren. Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa explores ways to promote U.S. research interests and to augment the sub-Saharan governments' capacity to address the many challenges posed by population aging. Five major themes are explored in the book such as the need for a basic definition of "older person," the need for national governments to invest more in basic research and the coordination of data collection across countries, and the need for improved dialogue between local researchers and policy makers. This book makes three major recommendations: 1) the development of a research agenda 2) enhancing research opportunity and implementation and 3) the translation of research findings.




Social Security Programs and Retirement around the World


Book Description

In developed countries, men’s labor force participation at older ages has increased in recent years, reversing a decades-long pattern of decline. Participation rates for older women have also been rising. What explains these patterns, and the differences in them across countries? The answers to these questions are pivotal as countries face fiscal and retirement security challenges posed by longer life-spans. This eighth phase of the International Social Security project, which compares the social security and retirement experiences of twelve developed countries, documents trends in participation and employment and explores reasons for the rising participation rates of older workers. The chapters use a common template for analysis, which facilitates comparison of results across countries. Using within-country natural experiments and cross-country comparisons, the researchers study the impact of improving health and education, changes in the occupation mix, the retirement incentives of social security programs, and the emergence of women in the workplace, on labor markets. The findings suggest that social security reforms and other factors such as the movement of women into the labor force have played an important role in labor force participation trends.




A state pension for the 21st century' consultation document


Book Description

The consultation documents published as Cm. 8053 (ISBN 9780101813129)




The Single-tier Pension


Book Description

This paper outlines the Government's detailed proposition for state pension reform. It follows a consultation on the proposals set out in "A state pension of the 21st century" (2011, Cm. 8053, ISBN 9780101805322). There was consensus that the state pension system needed to be simplified and the aim is to merge the state second pension with the basic state pension, to create one flat-rate payment. The new flat-rate state pension will start in April 2017 at the earliest. The weekly payment will be £144, plus inflation rises between now and 2017. Chapters in this paper cover: the context for reform; the single-tier pension; managing the end of contracting-out; the transition to the single-tier pension; sustainability and assumptions; longer-term sustainability - state pension age. Annexes provide: a brief history of the state pension; faster flat rating - assessment against principles for reform; features of the single-tier pension and specific transitional arrangements; an example pension statement; proposed timetable for implementing the increase in state pension age to 67.




A sustainable state pension


Book Description

This paper outlines the Government's new plans for the timing of the increase in state pension age to 66. The Pensions Act 2007 legislated for the state pension age to increase for both men and women to 66 by 2026, to 67 by 2036, and to 68 by 2046. But subsequent gains in average life expectancy have outpaced the projections on which that timetable was based. Official projections for life expectancy for those reaching 65 in 2026 have increased by 1.5 years for men and 1.6 years for women. The cost implications for maintaining the state pension are serious. The increased life expectancy means that, just for those reaching state pension age this year, the costs would increase by £6.5 billion over the lifetime of that cohort. Women's state pension age is currently rising from 60 to be equalised with men's at 65 by 2020. To enable an increase to 66, this timetable will be adjusted so that equalisation is reached in November 2018. The increase to 66 will then occur between December 2018 and April 2020 for both men and women. The increase will be phased in at a rate of three months' increase in state pension age every four months. This means that 4.9 million people will have their state pension age revised, of which 4.4 million will have an increase of a year or less. It will result in £30.4 billion of savings between 2016/17 and 2025/26, which would otherwise have to be met by the working-age population.




Hurry Up and Stop


Book Description

The UK economy and environment are not in a good place. We have contributed to global warming and our sense of wellbeing is being eroded. The book cuts through to the facts regarding each issue, explains the background and looks behind the headlines. It examines the current direction of travel of many related issues and outlines a joined up way forward that improves the outlook for each. It challenges the reasons why this situation has arisen and explores how we might change our approach. The key message of the book is that individually we can take steps that will crank the engine of change to rescue our legacies.




Reconstructing Retirement


Book Description

In the United Kingdom, retirement programs are being reconstructed to follow the American practice of abolishing mandatory retirement and increasing state pension ages. This timely book compares prospects for work and retirement at age sixty five-plus in both the United States and the United Kingdom. After exploring the shifting logic behind both nations' policies--policies that increase both the need and opportunities to work past age sixty five--David Lain presents an original comparative statistical analysis on the wide range of factors influencing employment at this age, from the ability to move between jobs in order to remain employed to changing employment trends. He then proposes a series of policies to address these factors across the life-course and promote security and autonomy for older people. Pathways to employment after sixty five are complex, and pressures to work at this age are likely to result in very unequal outcomes. This book will play a vital role in creating a more positive, more equitable future for late careers and retirement.