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Intergenerational Risk-Sharing and Risk-Taking of a Pension Fund

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Author Info
Christian Gollier ()

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Abstract

By using their financial reserves efficiently, pension funds can smooth shocks on asset returns, and can thus facilitate intergenerational risk-sharing. In addition to the primary benefit of improved time diversification, this form of risk allocation affords the additional benefit of allowing these funds to take better advantage of the equity premium, which also favors the consumers. In this paper, our aim is twofold. First, we characterize the socially efficient policy rules of a collective pension plan in terms of portfolio management, capital payments to retirees, and dividend payments to shareholders. We examine both the first-best rules and the second-best rules, where, in the latter case, the fund is constrained by a solvency ratio and by a guaranteed minimum return to workers’ contributions. Second, we measure the social surplus of the system compared to a situation in which each generation would save and invest in isolation for its own retirement. One of the main results of the paper is that better intergenerational risk-sharing does not reduce the risk born by each generation. Rather, it increases the expected return to the workers’ contributions.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by CESifo Group Munich in its series CESifo Working Paper Series with number CESifo Working Paper No. 1969.

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Date of creation: 2007
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Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_1969

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Related research
Keywords: dynamic portfolio choice; pension; retirement; intergenerational risk sharing; financial intermediation;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D90 - Microeconomics - - Intertemporal Choice and Growth - - - General

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. James Poterba & Joshua Rauh & Steven Venti & David Wise, 2003. "Utility Evaluation of Risk in Retirement Saving Accounts," NBER Working Papers 9892, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. de Vries, Casper G & Teulings, Coen N, 2004. "Generational Accounting, Solidarity and Pension Losses," CEPR Discussion Papers 4209, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Christian Gollier, 2005. "Optimal Portfolio Management for Individual Pension Plans," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
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  4. Gordon, Roger H. & Varian, Hal R., 1988. "Intergenerational risk sharing," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 185-202, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  5. Henning Bohn, 2004. "Intergenerational Risk Sharing and Fiscal Policy," 2004 Meeting Papers 22, Society for Economic Dynamics. [Downloadable!]
  6. Samuelson, Paul A, 1969. "Lifetime Portfolio Selection by Dynamic Stochastic Programming," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 51(3), pages 239-46, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Diamond, P. A., 1977. "A framework for social security analysis," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 275-298, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Gollier, Christian, 2002. "Time diversification, liquidity constraints, and decreasing aversion to risk on wealth," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(7), pages 1439-1459, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Gabrielle Demange & Guy Laroque, 1999. "Social Security and Demographic Shocks," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 67(3), pages 527-542, May.
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  10. Bodie, Zvi & Merton, Robert C. & Samuelson, William F., 1992. "Labor supply flexibility and portfolio choice in a life cycle model," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 16(3-4), pages 427-449. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Epstein, Larry G., 1983. "Decreasing absolute risk aversion and utility indices derived from cake-eating problems," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 245-264, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Deaton, Angus, 1991. "Saving and Liquidity Constraints," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 59(5), pages 1221-48, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  13. Gary Burtless, 2000. "Social Security Privatization and Financial Market Risk: Lessons from U.S. Financial History," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 211, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
  14. Merton, Robert C, 1969. "Lifetime Portfolio Selection under Uncertainty: The Continuous-Time Case," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 51(3), pages 247-57, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Jacob A. Bikker & Dirk W.G.A. Broeders & David A. Hollanders & Eduard H.M. Ponds, 2009. "Pension funds’ asset allocation and participant age: a test of the life-cycle model," DNB Working Papers 223, Netherlands Central Bank, Research Department. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Arjen Siegmann, 2008. "Minimum Funding Ratios for Defined-Benefit Pension Funds," DNB Working Papers 180, Netherlands Central Bank, Research Department. [Downloadable!]
  3. Jan Bonenkamp, 2009. "Measuring Lifetime Redistribution in Dutch Occupational Pensions," De Economist, Springer, vol. 157(1), pages 49-77, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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