nep-age New Economics Papers
on Economics of Ageing
Issue of 2018‒05‒14
six papers chosen by
Claudia Villosio
LABORatorio R. Revelli

  1. Unemployment, Income Growth and Social Security By Watanabe, Minoru; Miyake, Yusuke; Yasuoka, Masaya
  2. Optimal Default Policies in Defined Contribution Pension Plans when Employees are Biased By Asen Ivanov
  3. Population and house prices in the United Kingdom By Creina Day
  4. Exploring the Rise of Mortgage Borrowing among Older Americans By J. Michael Collins; Erik Hembre; Carly Urban
  5. Social protection after the Arab Spring By Rafael Guerreiro Osorio; Fábio Veras Soares
  6. Faut-il une nouvelle réforme des retraites ? By Gerard Cornilleau; Henri Sterdyniak

  1. By: Watanabe, Minoru; Miyake, Yusuke; Yasuoka, Masaya
    Abstract: Considering the sustainability of social security in an aging society with fewer children, income growth and population growth are important factors. With a decrease in income growth or population growth, social security transfers such as pension benefits cannot be provided. The intergenerational social security benefit is being reassessed in some OECD countries. In Japan, social security benefits for younger people are small because of an aging society. This paper presents description of an unemployment model with a minimum wage and social security benefits and presents examination of how unemployment benefits for the younger people affect income growth, fertility, and welfare. The results described herein demonstrate that unemployment benefits raise the capital stock and income level per capita. Therefore, this benefit should be provided to maintain the tax revenue for social security. Moreover, this benefit can increase social welfare.
    Keywords: Minimum wage, Social security, Unemployment
    JEL: E24 H55 J64
    Date: 2018–04–12
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:86155&r=age
  2. By: Asen Ivanov (Queen Mary University of London)
    Abstract: This paper analyses a model in which employees are biased in their perception of their optimal contribution rates or asset allocations in defined contribution pension plans. The optimal default is characterised as a function of the parameters. It is shown that, for some values of the parameters, forcing employees to actively decide is the optimal default policy. The total loss in the population at the optimal default policy can be nonmonotone in the parameters in counterintuitive ways.
    Keywords: optimal defaults, libertarian paternalism, nudging, pension plan design
    JEL: D14 D91 J26 J32
    Date: 2018–04–27
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:qmw:qmwecw:858&r=age
  3. By: Creina Day
    Abstract: Real house prices rise in the United Kingdom amid growing concern of an impending correction. The rate of household formation has increased with strong population growth, due to elevated rates of natural increase and net migration, and lack of growth in average household size, due to a rise in single-person households with population ageing. This paper presents an overlapping generations model of housing, endogenous labour, savings and growth to analyse the effect of an increase in the household formation rate and speculative demand under rational expectations on house prices in a general equilibrium. We find that real house prices rise over time if the rate of household formation outstrips the rate of housing supply, but do not follow a speculative bubble path in the long run. The results explain why the upward trend in real house prices reflects market fundamentals and has continued despite population ageing as the number of working and retired households grows relative to the number of older people seeking to sell.
    Date: 2018–05
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:een:camaaa:2018-21&r=age
  4. By: J. Michael Collins; Erik Hembre; Carly Urban
    Abstract: This paper documents and examines the rise in mortgage usage among older Americans over the past 30 years. It uses data from a variety of sources including the Health and Retirement Study, Decennial Census, American Community Survey, Survey of Consumer Finances, and the American Housing Survey. We begin by documenting the large increase in mortgage usage among older Americans across age and income distributions. We then use regression analysis to test for causes of the mortgage increase and subgroup heterogeneity, in particular focusing on changing health, bequest motives, and tax policy incentives.
    Date: 2018–05
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crr:crrwps:wp2018-3&r=age
  5. By: Rafael Guerreiro Osorio (IPC-IG); Fábio Veras Soares (IPC-IG)
    Abstract: "When countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) achieved their independence, formal social protection schemes established by former colonial powers were, to varying degrees, assimilated or mimicked by the State, particularly pension systems for government and formal-sector workers. These systems, however, have proven to be highly subsidised and regressive in terms of income distribution in the face of large segments of the population engaged in the informal sector (or rural work), who have remained excluded from formal social protection unless eligible for some social assistance programmes, mostly with lower coverage and benefits. In fact, a significant share of the social expenditure with a social protection function in most of these countries was assigned to universal or quasi-universal subsidies of fuel and staple foods". (...)
    Keywords: Social protection, Arab Spring
    Date: 2017–12
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipc:ifocus:40&r=age
  6. By: Gerard Cornilleau (Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques); Henri Sterdyniak (Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques)
    Abstract: En matière de retraite, la France est confrontée à quatre défis : le passage à la retraite des générations du baby-boom, l'allongement de la durée de vie, la faiblesse du taux d'emploi, la disparité des régimes. Par contre, elle a conservé un taux de fécondité satisfaisant. La France a choisi un système public, par répartition. Ce choix a été maintenu malgré la crise économique et les changements politiques. Depuis 1993, les réformes ont nettement ralenti l'évolution des retraites, mais le pouvoir d'achat des retraités reste équivalent à celui des personnes d'âge actif. Le taux d'emploi des actifs seniors a augmenté malgré la crise, alors que celui des jeunes fléchissait nettement. L'équilibre financier structurel du système a été assuré. Les projections du COR de juin 2017 présentent un diagnostic mitigé : le système présenterait toujours un certain déficit à moyen terme (de 0,5 à 1,3 % du PIB en 2035). Ces projections sont cependant fragiles reposant sur des hypothèses discutables : lente décrue du chômage, diminution de l'emploi public. Elles comportent surtout une baisse sensible du niveau de vie relatif des retraités qui résulterait mécaniquement de la croissance de la productivité du travail ; que faire si la croissance demeure faible ? Un report rapide de l'âge ouvrant le droit à la retraite n'est pas souhaitable tant que le chômage ne baisse pas nettement. Il n'y a pas actuellement de fortes disparités entre les salariés du privé et ceux du secteur public en matière de retraite. Le président de la République envisage d'unifier les régimes de retraite dans un système unique fonctionnant en comptes notionnels, de sorte qu'« un euro cotisé donne les mêmes droits, quel que soit le moment où il a été versé, quel que soit le statut de celui qui a cotisé ». La phase de transition sera délicate. Notre analyse plaide pour : ■ ne pas compter sur la croissance des salaires pour réduire le niveau relatif des retraites. Réindexer partiellement les retraites sur les salaires. Gérer socialement le niveau relatif des retraites en garantissant un taux de remplacement décroissant selon le niveau de salaire. Accepter si nécessaire une hausse des cotisations salariés ; ■ tenir compte de la situation de l'emploi pour gérer l'allongement de la durée des carrières. Ouvrir des solutions (emplois aidés, retraites précoces) pour les seniors en difficulté ; ■ négocier une convergence progressive des régimes de retraite. Assurer l'égalisation rapide des avantages familiaux. Veiller à une évolution similaire des taux de remplacement ; ■ Toute réforme unificatrice devrait respecter le caractère redistributif des assurances sociales, tenir compte des disparités d'espérance de vie et de capacité de maintien en emploi, ne pas être un moyen pour réduire le niveau des retraites.
    Keywords: Retraites; Réforme; France
    Date: 2017–11
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/41jevc367792dref1ob2lltnbs&r=age

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