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The Optimal Mix Between Funded and Unfunded Pension Systems When People Care About Relative Consumption

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  • MARKUS KNELL

Abstract

The paper studies the optimal portfolio mix between funded and unfunded pension systems when people care about relative consumption. In pay‐as‐you‐go systems with fixed contribution rates, pensions are tied to wages. This lowers the uncertainty of individuals' future relative position thereby increasing the attractiveness of unfunded systems. The paper shows analytically that the optimal share of funding decreases with the importance of relative standing. A calibrated version of the model suggests that the concern for relative standing has also a quantitatively important impact on the optimal share of funding. For reasonable assumptions it is typically around 20%.

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  • Markus Knell, 2010. "The Optimal Mix Between Funded and Unfunded Pension Systems When People Care About Relative Consumption," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 77(308), pages 710-733, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:econom:v:77:y:2010:i:308:p:710-733
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0335.2009.00797.x
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    2. Devolder, Pierre & Melis, Roberta, 2015. "Optimal Mix Between Pay As You Go And Funding For Pension Liabilities In A Stochastic Framework," ASTIN Bulletin, Cambridge University Press, vol. 45(3), pages 551-575, September.
    3. Muysken, J. & Sleijpen, O.C.H.M., 2011. "Lessons from the financial crisis: funded pension funds should invest conservatively," Research Memorandum 020, Maastricht University, Maastricht Research School of Economics of Technology and Organization (METEOR).
    4. Emin Gahramanov & Xueli Tang, 2013. "Should We Refinance Unfunded Social Security?," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 80(319), pages 532-565, July.
    5. Wang, Suxin & Lu, Yi, 2019. "Optimal investment strategies and risk-sharing arrangements for a hybrid pension plan," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 46-62.
    6. Meijdam, A.C. & Ponds, E.H.M., 2013. "On the Optimal Degree Of Funding Of Public Sector Pension Plans," Other publications TiSEM 1c5b7af1-e1ee-4d01-a341-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    7. Bilancini, Ennio & D’Antoni, Massimo, 2012. "The desirability of pay-as-you-go pensions when relative consumption matters and returns are stochastic," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 117(2), pages 418-422.
    8. Aronsson, Thomas & Mannberg, Andrea, 2015. "Relative consumption of housing: Marginal saving subsidies and income taxes as a second-best policy?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 439-450.
    9. Alonso-García, J. & Devolder, P., 2016. "Optimal mix between pay-as-you-go and funding for DC pension schemes in an overlapping generations model," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 224-236.
    10. Knell, Markus, 2013. "The Intergenerational Distribution of Demographic Fluctuations in Unfunded and Funded Pension Systems," VfS Annual Conference 2013 (Duesseldorf): Competition Policy and Regulation in a Global Economic Order 79830, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    11. M. Carmen Boado-Penas & Julia Eisenberg & Ralf Korn, 2019. "Transforming public pensions: A mixed scheme with a credit granted by the state," Papers 1912.12329, arXiv.org.
    12. Romaniuk, Katarzyna, 2018. "A simple rule to determine the usefulness of the paygo system on diversification grounds," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 282-284.

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