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Private pensions versus social inclusion? Non-state arrangements for citizens at risk in Europe

Private pensions versus social inclusion? Non-state arrangements for citizens at risk in Europe
Private pensions versus social inclusion? Non-state arrangements for citizens at risk in Europe
Over the last decade a consensus amongst Western social policy-makers has emerged that welfare states need more private pension provision in order to master the challenges emerging through societal ageing. Yet, despite an almost universal shift towards greater private provision, there remain important or gaps in our knowledge about the implications of privatization, in particular for the protection of citizens without life-long, full-time employment biographies. The first problem is conceptual. Despite their prominence in political and academic debates, basic concepts, such as ‘private pensions’ and ‘privatisation’ remain shrouded by a good deal of ambiguity with important implications for their operationalisation in the analysis of social policy change. Secondly, comparative assessments that differentiate between private and public elements in pension regimes in terms of their contribution to social inclusion are rare. Thirdly, even though there is strong reliance on the private sector for pension provision in many countries and European societies seem to have reached a “point of no return” as far as governmental support for stronger public sectors is concerned, in the pensions literature the motives of non-state actors, i.e. private employers and individuals in engaging in private pension provision have been under-investigated. It is the objective of this book is to address these problems. To this end it will concentrate on the following main questions: - What is the nature of the public/private mix in each pension regime? - What pension levels can hypothetical ‘risk biographies’ on incomes below the average but above the poverty line expect under current conditions and what is the contribution of the private and the public sector for their pension outcomes? - Why do non state actors engage in pensions provision? - How do the policy-makers responsible for reform aim to address the main shortcomings of their regimes for ‘risk biographies’, given a strengthening of the public sector is not considered a viable option? - Is it possible to identify public/private pension mixes which successfully balance sustainability and inclusion? Contents of the book Chapter 1: Public-Private Pension Regimes – conceptual and empirical varieties (Bridgen/Meyer) (8,000 words) Chapter 2 - What chance for voluntarism? Assessing employers’, insurers’, trade unions’ and citizens’ interest in private pensions (Bridgen/Meyer) (5000 words) Chapters 3-7: Private Pensions and Social Inclusion - country case studies (Authors: Netherlands: Bannink/de Vroom; Switzerland: Bertozzi/Bonoli; United Kingdom: Bridgen/Meyer; Germany: Riedmüller/Willert; Italy: Calza Bini/Raitano; 10,000 words each) Chapter 8: Conclusion (Bridgen/Meyer, 10,000 words).
9781847203533
Edward Elgar Publishing
Meyer, Traute
ee469bf0-ab32-43ac-9f25-1261c24123fe
Bridgen, Paul
6a2060f6-cbab-47d4-a831-ff82350055c9
Riedmüller, Barbara
14be0d58-3a28-4e90-a15a-37dce6e35089
Meyer, Traute
ee469bf0-ab32-43ac-9f25-1261c24123fe
Bridgen, Paul
6a2060f6-cbab-47d4-a831-ff82350055c9
Riedmüller, Barbara
14be0d58-3a28-4e90-a15a-37dce6e35089

Meyer, Traute, Bridgen, Paul and Riedmüller, Barbara (eds.) (2007) Private pensions versus social inclusion? Non-state arrangements for citizens at risk in Europe , Cheltenham, UK. Edward Elgar Publishing, 272pp.

Record type: Book

Abstract

Over the last decade a consensus amongst Western social policy-makers has emerged that welfare states need more private pension provision in order to master the challenges emerging through societal ageing. Yet, despite an almost universal shift towards greater private provision, there remain important or gaps in our knowledge about the implications of privatization, in particular for the protection of citizens without life-long, full-time employment biographies. The first problem is conceptual. Despite their prominence in political and academic debates, basic concepts, such as ‘private pensions’ and ‘privatisation’ remain shrouded by a good deal of ambiguity with important implications for their operationalisation in the analysis of social policy change. Secondly, comparative assessments that differentiate between private and public elements in pension regimes in terms of their contribution to social inclusion are rare. Thirdly, even though there is strong reliance on the private sector for pension provision in many countries and European societies seem to have reached a “point of no return” as far as governmental support for stronger public sectors is concerned, in the pensions literature the motives of non-state actors, i.e. private employers and individuals in engaging in private pension provision have been under-investigated. It is the objective of this book is to address these problems. To this end it will concentrate on the following main questions: - What is the nature of the public/private mix in each pension regime? - What pension levels can hypothetical ‘risk biographies’ on incomes below the average but above the poverty line expect under current conditions and what is the contribution of the private and the public sector for their pension outcomes? - Why do non state actors engage in pensions provision? - How do the policy-makers responsible for reform aim to address the main shortcomings of their regimes for ‘risk biographies’, given a strengthening of the public sector is not considered a viable option? - Is it possible to identify public/private pension mixes which successfully balance sustainability and inclusion? Contents of the book Chapter 1: Public-Private Pension Regimes – conceptual and empirical varieties (Bridgen/Meyer) (8,000 words) Chapter 2 - What chance for voluntarism? Assessing employers’, insurers’, trade unions’ and citizens’ interest in private pensions (Bridgen/Meyer) (5000 words) Chapters 3-7: Private Pensions and Social Inclusion - country case studies (Authors: Netherlands: Bannink/de Vroom; Switzerland: Bertozzi/Bonoli; United Kingdom: Bridgen/Meyer; Germany: Riedmüller/Willert; Italy: Calza Bini/Raitano; 10,000 words each) Chapter 8: Conclusion (Bridgen/Meyer, 10,000 words).

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More information

Published date: 2007

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 40708
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/40708
ISBN: 9781847203533
PURE UUID: 21ba95ab-a92b-4eb9-9aec-0dc02262f0e2
ORCID for Traute Meyer: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0767-8351
ORCID for Paul Bridgen: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-6039-3254

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 06 Jul 2006
Last modified: 16 Jan 2024 02:38

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Contributors

Editor: Traute Meyer ORCID iD
Editor: Paul Bridgen ORCID iD
Editor: Barbara Riedmüller

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