IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/esprep/54558.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Who will pay? Inter-generational transfers and public sector pensions

Author

Listed:
  • Eich, Frank

Abstract

This paper analyses the different channels through which particular generations within one society can end up subsidising other generations through the functioning of the welfare state. The welfare state, which is organised and funded by “society” through taxation, plays an important part in almost all countries, often providing services such as education and health care or transfers such as state pensions. Whether a generation receives a net subsidy from another generation (or other generations) can only be determined at the end of their life cycle and not at any particular point in time during their lives. The paper therefore focuses on the flows between the welfare state and generations over their whole lifespan, from birth to childhood, to working life to old age and eventual death. The paper argues that depending on the underlying cause of a potential inter-generational imbalance, the policy response might very well differ. Tax smoothing (and letting debt fluctuate as a buffer) is an appropriate response to varying cohort sizes (the baby boomer example). However, tax smoothing does not help with more structural changes such as the increase in longevity across successive generations. Increasing retirement ages in line with increases in longevity would be one appropriate response as would be making entitlements in old age less generous. In reality many developments take place at the same time so that a policy mix will be required. Last but not least the paper shows that the issue of funded versus unfunded public sector pensions is not as clear cut as some might believe it to be. Perhaps counter intuitively, having unfunded public sector pensions might actually be inter-generationally fairer than having funded pensions. This will depend on the circumstances though.

Suggested Citation

  • Eich, Frank, 2010. "Who will pay? Inter-generational transfers and public sector pensions," EconStor Preprints 54558, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:esprep:54558
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/54558/1/20100723_Who_will_pay_Inter-generational_transfers_and_public_sector_pensions.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andreas Bergh, 2005. "On Inter‐ and Intra‐Individual Redistribution of the Welfare State," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 86(s1), pages 984-995, December.
    2. Hagist, Christian & Moog, Stefan & Raffelhüschen, Bernd & Vatter, Johannes, 2009. "Ehrbare Staaten? Die Ergebnisse der Generationenbilanzierung im internationalen Vergleich," FZG Discussion Papers 34, University of Freiburg, Research Center for Generational Contracts (FZG).
    3. Auerbach, Alan J. & Kotlikoff, Laurence J. & Leibfritz, Willi (ed.), 1999. "Generational Accounting around the World," National Bureau of Economic Research Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 1, number 9780226032139.
    4. Alan J. Auerbach & Laurence J. Kotlikoff & Willi Leibfritz, 1999. "Generational Accounting around the World," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number auer99-1.
    5. Eich, Frank, 2009. "Public sector pensions: Rationale and international experiences," EconStor Preprints 54560, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    6. Cardarelli, Roberto & Sefton, James & Kotlikoff, Laurence J, 2000. "Generational Accounting in the UK," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(467), pages 547-574, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. David E. Wildasin, 2003. "Fiscal Policy, Human Capital, and Canada-US Labor Market Integration," Public Economics 0309006, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Alan J. Auerbach & Young Jun Chun & Ilho Yoo, 2005. "The Fiscal Burden of Korean Reunification: A Generational Accounting Approach," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 61(1), pages 62-97, March.
    3. David Bradford, 2001. "Reforming Budgetary Language," CESifo Working Paper Series 619, CESifo.
    4. Beetsma, Roel & Bettendorf, Leon & Broer, Peter, 2003. "The budgeting and economic consequences of ageing in the Netherlands," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 20(5), pages 987-1013, September.
    5. Mulligan, Casey B., 2000. "Can Monopoly Unionism Explain Publicly Induced Retirement?," Working Papers 157, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State.
    6. Omar Aziz & Norman Gemmell & Athene Laws, 2016. "Income and Fiscal Incidence by Age and Gender: Some Evidence from New Zealand," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 62(3), pages 534-558, September.
    7. Casey B. Mulligan, 2000. "Can Monopoly Unionism Explain Publicly Induced Retirement?," NBER Working Papers 7680, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Bernd Raffelhuschen & Laurence J. Kotlikoff, 1999. "Generational Accounting around the Globe," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(2), pages 161-166, May.
    9. Alan J. Auerbach, 2002. "Is there a role for discretionary fiscal policy?," Proceedings - Economic Policy Symposium - Jackson Hole, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, pages 109-150.
    10. Kotlikoff, Laurence J., 2002. "Generational policy," Handbook of Public Economics, in: A. J. Auerbach & M. Feldstein (ed.), Handbook of Public Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 27, pages 1873-1932, Elsevier.
    11. Sanches, Fabio Miessi & Souza, Andre Portela, 2007. "(Un)Sustainability and reform of the social security system in Brasil: A generational Accounting Approach," Revista Brasileira de Economia - RBE, EPGE Brazilian School of Economics and Finance - FGV EPGE (Brazil), vol. 61(3), March.
    12. Aziz, Omar & Gemmell, Norman & Laws, Athene, 2013. "The Distribution of Income and Fiscal Incidence by Age and Gender: Some Evidence from New Zealand," Working Paper Series 2852, Victoria University of Wellington, Chair in Public Finance.
    13. Miyazato, Naomi, 2015. "Intergenerational redistribution policies of the 1990s and 2000s in Japan: An analysis using generational accounting," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 34, pages 1-16.
    14. Casey B. Mulligan, 2000. "Can Monopoly Unionism Explain Publicly Induced Retirement?," NBER Working Papers 7680, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. de la Croix, David & Docquier, Frederic & Liegeois, Philippe, 2007. "Income growth in the 21st century: Forecasts with an overlapping generations model," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 621-635.
    16. repec:pri:cepsud:74bradford is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Kazakova, Maria & Nesterova, Kristina, 2015. "Long-Term Forecast of the Main Parameters of the Budgetary System of Russia," Published Papers 2309, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
    18. Fullerton, Don & Metcalf, Gilbert E., 2002. "Tax incidence," Handbook of Public Economics, in: A. J. Auerbach & M. Feldstein (ed.), Handbook of Public Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 26, pages 1787-1872, Elsevier.
    19. Bohn, Henning, 2009. "Intergenerational risk sharing and fiscal policy," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(6), pages 805-816, September.
    20. Gemma Abío & Eduard Berenguer & Holger Bonin & Joan Gil & Concepció Patxot, 2003. "Is the deficit under control? A generational accounting perspective on fiscal policy and labour market trends in Spain," Investigaciones Economicas, Fundación SEPI, vol. 27(2), pages 309-341, May.
    21. Leon Bettendorf & A. Horst & N. Draper & C. Ewijk & R. Mooij & H. Rele, 2011. "Ageing and the Conflict of Interest Between Generations," De Economist, Springer, vol. 159(3), pages 257-278, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:esprep:54558. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/zbwkide.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.