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The diversity and causality of pension reform pathways: a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis

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  • Carrera, Leandro N.
  • Angelaki, Marina

Abstract

Pension reform is one of the top public policy priorities in advanced industrialized countries due to population ageing and the significant weight of pension spending in governments’ budgets. As a result of these concerns European countries have engaged in varying degrees of pension reforms over the last three decades. The extant literature on pension reform focuses on structural, institutional and blame avoidance theories to explain how pension reform take place. Yet, how do different conditions combine to lead to significant pension reform outcomes? To answer this question we analyze a set of 48 pension reform cases in eight European countries since the late 1980s up until 2014 by using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Our main finding is that institutional, structural or blame avoidance theories cannot account by themselves for instances of significant pension reform. Rather, we find three pathways that combine structural and institutional conditions to lead to significant pension reform.

Suggested Citation

  • Carrera, Leandro N. & Angelaki, Marina, 2020. "The diversity and causality of pension reform pathways: a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 102554, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:102554
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. András Simonovits, 2011. "The mandatory private pension pillar in Hungary: An obituary," International Social Security Review, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 64(3), pages 81-98, July.
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    3. Mitchell A. Orenstein, 2011. "Pension privatization in crisis: Death or rebirth of a global policy trend?," International Social Security Review, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 64(3), pages 65-80, July.
    4. Bonoli,Giuliano, 2000. "The Politics of Pension Reform," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521776066.
    5. Wolfgang Ochel & Anja Rohwer & Anja Hülsewig, 2009. "Reduction of Employment Protection in Europe: A Comparative Fuzzy-Set Analysis," CESifo Working Paper Series 2828, CESifo.
    6. Bonoli,Giuliano, 2000. "The Politics of Pension Reform," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521772327.
    7. Hinrichs, Karl, 2000. "Elephants on the move. Patterns of public pension reform in OECD countries," European Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(3), pages 353-378, July.
    8. repec:ucp:bkecon:9780226702766 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Andras Simonovits, 2011. "The Mandatory Private Pension Pillar in Hungary: An Obituary," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 1112, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
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    Cited by:

    1. Carrera, Leandro & Angelaki, Marina, 2022. "The politics of pension policy responses to COVID-19: comparative insights from Chile, Bolivia and Peru," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 116666, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    pension policy; reform; fsqca; politics; institutions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E6 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook
    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General

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