Reforming Social Security

Author : Olivia S. Mitchell,Robert Julius Myers,Howard Young
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
Page : 446 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 1999-01-29
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0812234790

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Prospects for Social Security Reform by Olivia S. Mitchell,Robert Julius Myers,Howard Young Pdf

The United States social security system is the nation's largest social insurance program. As such, it has a far-reaching impact throughout the economy, influencing not only old-age economic security but also many behaviors, including corporate employment policy, retirement patterns, and personal saving. In the past, the system's universal coverage and generous benefits ensured popular support to a degree enjoyed by no other form of "big government" social spending. Yet over two-thirds of all Americans today believe that the social security system will face bankruptcy by the time they retire. The question of social security reform—how to reform the system or whether the system needs reform at all—is the subject of heated debate at all levels of government, in the media, and among workers, pensioners, and employers. Prospects for Social Security Reform informs the debate by exploring why the system is at a crossroads today and what to do about it. Contributors detail the size and nature of the problem, explain views of key "stakeholders" regarding reform options, and report new evidence on how reform might affect the economy. Research findings and public opinion polls are analyzed, as are lessons from other countries experimenting with new ways to deliver old-age benefit promises. No other volume includes as diverse and expert a set of perspectives on reform and privatization as those gathered here from economists, actuaries, employers, investment managers, and representatives of organized labor. Among its chapters is the path-breaking study "Social Security Money's Worth," the 1999 winner of the TIAA-CREF's Paul A. Samuelson Award for Outstanding Scholarly Writing on Lifelong Financial Security.

Author : Daniel Shaviro
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 190 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780226751177

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Making Sense of Social Security Reform by Daniel Shaviro Pdf

The Social Security Act of 1935 must be counted among the most monumental pieces of legislation ever passed by Congress. Today, sixty-five years after its enactment, public support for Social Security remains extremely strong. At the same time, there have been reports that Social Security is in grave danger of financial collapse, and numerous groups across the political spectrum have agitated for its reform. The president has put forward proposals to rescue Social Security, conservatives argue for its privatization, and liberals advocate increases in its funding from surplus tax revenues. But what is the average person to make of all this? How many Americans know where the money for Social Security benefits really comes from, or who wins and loses from the system's overall operations? Few people understand the current Social Security system in even its broadest outlines. And yet Social Security reform is ranked among the most important social issues of our time. With Making Sense of Social Security Reform, Daniel Shaviro makes an important contribution to the public understanding of the issues involved in reforming Social Security. His book clearly and straightforwardly describes the current system and the pressures that have been brought to bear upon it, before dissecting and evaluating the various reform proposals. Accessible to anyone who has an interest in the issue, Shaviro's new work is unique in offering a balanced, nonpartisan account.

Author : Estelle James,Alejandra Cox Edwards,Rebeca Wong
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 294 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2008-09-15
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780226392028

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The Gender Impact of Social Security Reform by Estelle James,Alejandra Cox Edwards,Rebeca Wong Pdf

As populations age and revenues diminish, government and private pension funds around the world are facing insolvency. The looming social security crisis is especially dire for women, who live longer than men but have worked less in the formal labor force. This groundbreaking study examines alternative social security systems and their disparate impacts on men and women. Emphasis is placed on the new multi-pillar systems that combine a publicly managed benefit and a mandatory private retirement saving plan. The Gender Impact of Social Security Reform compares the gendered outcomes of social security systems in Chile, Argentina, and Mexico, and presents empirical findings from Eastern and Central European transition economies as well as several OECD countries. Women’s positions have improved relative to men in countries where joint pensions have been required, widows who have worked can keep the joint pension in addition to their own benefit, the public benefit has been targeted toward low earners, and women’s retirement age has been raised to equality with that of men. The Gender Impact of Social Security Reform will force economists and policy makers to reexamine the design features that enable social security systems to achieve desirable gender outcomes.

Author : United States. Government Accountability Office
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 86 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Social security
ISBN : CORNELL:31924105502862

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Social Security Reform by United States. Government Accountability Office Pdf

Author : Peter A. Diamond
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 120 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0199247897

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Social Security Reform by Peter A. Diamond Pdf

Also considered are the risks in the political process."--BOOK JACKET.

Author : John Y. Campbell,Martin Feldstein
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 509 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2009-02-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780226092560

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Risk Aspects of Investment-Based Social Security Reform by John Y. Campbell,Martin Feldstein Pdf

Our current social security system operates on a pay-as-you-go basis; benefits are paid almost entirely out of current revenues. As the ratio of retirees to taxpayers increases, concern about the high costs of providing benefits in a pay-as-you-go system has led economists to explore other options. One involves "prefunding," in which a person's withholdings are invested in financial instruments, such as stocks and bonds, the eventual returns from which would fund his or her retirement. The risks such a system would introduce—such as the volatility in the market prices of investment assets—are the focus of this offering from the NBER. Exploring the issues involved in measuring risk and developing models to reflect the risks of various investment-based systems, economists evaluate the magnitude of the risks that both retirees and taxpayers would assume. The insights that emerge show that the risk is actually moderate relative to the improved return, as well as being balanced by the ability of an investment-based system to adapt to differences in individual preferences and conditions.

Author : Axel Börsch-Supan,Courtney C. Coile
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 481 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2021-03-05
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780226674247

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Social Security Programs and Retirement around the World by Axel Börsch-Supan,Courtney C. Coile Pdf

This ninth phase of the International Social Security project, which studies the experiences of twelve developed countries, examines the effects of public pension reform on employment at older ages. In the past two decades, men’s labor force participation at older ages has increased, reversing a long-term pattern of decline; participation rates for older women have increased dramatically as well. While better health, more education, and changes in labor-supply behavior of married couples may have affected this trend, these factors alone cannot explain the magnitude of the employment increase or its large variation across countries. The studies in this volume explore how financial incentives to work at older ages have evolved as a result of public pension reforms since 1980 and how these changes have affected retirement behavior. Utilizing a common template to analyze the developments across countries, the findings suggest that social security reforms have strengthened the financial returns to working at older ages and that these enhanced financial incentives have contributed to the rise in late-life employment.

Author : C. Eugene Steuerle,Jon M. Bakija
Publisher : The Urban Insitute
Page : 358 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 1994
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0877666024

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Retooling Social Security for the 21st Century by C. Eugene Steuerle,Jon M. Bakija Pdf

Study of the Social Security debate arguing that Social Security needs reform and offering a blueprint for implementing them to meet today's and tomorrow's needs.

Author : Martin Feldstein,Jeffrey B. Liebman
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 479 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2007-11-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780226241890

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The Distributional Aspects of Social Security and Social Security Reform by Martin Feldstein,Jeffrey B. Liebman Pdf

Social security is the largest and perhaps the most popular program run by the federal government. Given the projected increase in both individual life expectancy and sheer number of retirees, however, the current system faces an eventual overload. Alternative proposals have emerged, ranging from reductions in future benefits to a rise in taxrevenue to various forms of investment-based personal retirement accounts. As this volume suggests, the distributional consequences of these proposals are substantially different and may disproportionately affect those groups who depend on social security to avoid poverty in old age. Together, these studies persuasively show that appropriately designed investment-based social security reforms can effectively reduce the long-term burden of an aging society on future taxpayers, increase the expected future income of retirees, and mitigate poverty rates among the elderly.

Author : A. W. Dilnot,John Anderson Kay,C. N. Morris
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 184 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 1984
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : STANFORD:36105039788976

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The Reform of Social Security by A. W. Dilnot,John Anderson Kay,C. N. Morris Pdf

Study of reforms needed in the welfare state social security system of the UK - suggests an integrated approach comprising tax reform, administrative reform and other social policy measures to improve social protection for low income groups, one parent families, retired workers, the unemployed, etc.. Bibliography and graphs.

Author : R. Douglas Arnold
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 328 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2022-04-12
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780691224435

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Fixing Social Security by R. Douglas Arnold Pdf

How Social Security has shaped American politics—and why it faces insolvency Since its establishment, Social Security has become the financial linchpin of American retirement. Yet demographic trends—longer lifespans and declining birthrates—mean that this popular program now pays more in benefits than it collects in revenue. Without reforms, 83 million Americans will face an immediate benefit cut of 20 percent in 2034. How did we get here and what is the solution? In Fixing Social Security, R. Douglas Arnold explores the historical role that Social Security has played in American politics, why Congress has done nothing to fix its insolvency problem for three decades, and what legislators can do to save it. What options do legislators have as the program nears the precipice? They can raise taxes, as they did in 1977, cut benefits, as they did in 1983, or reinvent the program, as they attempted in 2005. Unfortunately, every option would impose costs, and legislators are reluctant to act, fearing electoral retribution. Arnold investigates why politicians designed the system as they did and how between 1935 and 1983 they allocated—and reallocated—costs and benefits among workers, employers, and beneficiaries. He also examines public support for the program, and why Democratic and Republican representatives, once political allies in expanding Social Security, have become so deeply polarized about fixing it. As Social Security edges closer to crisis, Fixing Social Security offers a comprehensive analysis of the political fault lines and a fresh look at what can be done—before it is too late.

Author : United States. National Commission on Social Security Reform
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 298 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 1983
Category : Disability insurance
ISBN : UOM:35128000854883

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Report of the National Commission on Social Security Reform by United States. National Commission on Social Security Reform Pdf

Author : Peter A. Diamond,Peter R. Orszag
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2006-05-25
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780815797838

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Saving Social Security by Peter A. Diamond,Peter R. Orszag Pdf

New in Paperback. While everyone agrees that Social Security is a vital and necessary government program, there have been widely divergent plans for reforming it. Peter A. Diamond and Peter R. Orszag, two of the nation's foremost economists, propose a reform plan that would rescue the program both from its projected financial problems and from those who would destroy the program in order to save it. Since the publication of the first edition of this book in 2004, the Social Security debate has moved to the center of the domestic policy agenda. In this updated edition of Saving Social Security, the authors analyze the Bush Administration's proposal for individual accounts and discuss the so-called "price indexing" proposal to restore long-term solvency through changing how initial benefits would be calculated. Soc ial Security is essis essential reading for policymakers involved in reform, analysts, students, and all those interested in the fate of this safeguard of American lives. "An honest, transparent and comprehensive approach to making the much needed reforms to the Social Security program."—Journal of Pensions, Economics, and Finance "Very accessible presentation of facts, analysis of underlying problems, comparison of opinions, and argument for proposed reforms."—Future Survey Exhaustively researched and deeply entrenched in practical issues and mathematical calculations... a highly recommended ray of hope against a looming national crisis." —Wisconsin Bookwatch "Diamond and Orszag bring some welcome realism and decency to the debate."—Robert M. Solow, Institute Professor Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nobel Laureate in Economics

Author : Martin Feldstein,Horst Siebert
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 515 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2009-02-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780226241913

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Social Security Pension Reform in Europe by Martin Feldstein,Horst Siebert Pdf

Social Security in the United States and in Europe is at a critical juncture. Through the essays assembled in Social Security Pension Reform in Europe, Martin Feldstein and Horst Siebert, along with a number of distinguished contributors, discuss the challenges facing Social Security reform in the aging societies of Europe. A remarkable range of European nations—Germany, France, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Hungary—have implemented or are about to implement mixed Social Security systems that combine a traditional defined benefit of the pay-as-you-go system with an individual retirement account defined contribution of a capital-funded system. The essays here highlight the problems that the European pension reform process faces and how it differs from that of the United States. This timely volume will significantly enrich the debate on pension reform worldwide.

Author : Peter J. Ferrara,Peter Ferrara
Publisher : Cato Institute
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 1985
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0932790453

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Social Security by Peter J. Ferrara,Peter Ferrara Pdf

Based on papers presented at a conference held by the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., in June 1983. Includes bibliographical references.