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Poor because of low pensions or expensive housing? The combined impact of pension and housing systems on poverty among the elderly

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  • Neda Delfani
  • Johan De Deken
  • Caroline Dewilde

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to illustrate how pension and housing systems together affect poverty among the elderly. We analyse Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands, each with different combinations of pension and housing institutions. Using EU-SILC data for 2009, we distinguish between income-poverty and deprivation, the former to evaluate the performance of pension systems and the latter to judge how the impact of housing systems on income-poverty translates into deprivation. The focus is on risk groups such as the separated, the widowed, the former self-employed and retirees with short or irregular employment histories. The findings are that pensions, since they often exclude particular groups, such as households with less than 25 years of employment, increase the elderly income-poverty risk for those groups. The risk of being income-poor is somewhat alleviated in the case of a generous flat-rate public pension, but even then households with less than 25 years of employment have higher levels of income-poverty. Outright home-ownership provides households the opportunity to live rent-free and thus yields income-in-kind. Housing systems in which home-ownership is dominant often also have high levels of outright home-ownership among the income-poor elderly, compensating for the low income-in-cash that they receive as a pension, thus reducing deprivation.

Suggested Citation

  • Neda Delfani & Johan De Deken & Caroline Dewilde, 2015. "Poor because of low pensions or expensive housing? The combined impact of pension and housing systems on poverty among the elderly," International Journal of Housing Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(3), pages 260-284, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:intjhp:v:15:y:2015:i:3:p:260-284
    DOI: 10.1080/14616718.2015.1004880
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    Cited by:

    1. Fitzpatrick, Scott J. & Read, Donna & Brew, Bronwyn K. & Perkins, David, 2021. "A sociological autopsy lens on older adult suicide in rural Australia: Addressing health, psychosocial factors and care practices at the intersection of policies and institutions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    2. Daniel J. Exeter & Olivia Healey & Jessie Colbert & Nichola Shackleton, 2023. "Developing SEP65: A Census-Derived Index of Socio-Economic Position Specifically for the Older Population in Aotearoa New Zealand," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 169(3), pages 973-991, October.
    3. Slaymaker, Rachel & Roantree, Barra & Nolan, Anne & O'Toole, Conor, 2022. "Future trends in housing tenure and the adequacy of retirement income," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS143.
    4. Kieran Walsh & Thomas Scharf & Norah Keating, 2017. "Social exclusion of older persons: a scoping review and conceptual framework," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 81-98, March.
    5. Załęczna Magdalena, 2019. "Dwellings for Vulnerable Households-Policy and Practice in the Largest Cities of Poland," Real Estate Management and Valuation, Sciendo, vol. 27(3), pages 5-16, September.
    6. Hollanders, David, 2016. "Pension systems do not suffer from ageing or lack of home-ownership but from financialisation," Other publications TiSEM 101cb77f-ea9c-47bc-930d-0, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.

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