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Pension Sytems and the Allocation of Macroeconomic Risk

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Author Info
Lans Bovenberg
Harald Uhlig

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Abstract

This paper explores the optimal risk sharing arrangement between generations in an overlapping generations model with endogenous growth. We allow for nonseparable preferences, paying particular attention to the risk aversion of the old as well as overall ``life-cycle´´ risk aversion. We provide a fairly tractable model, which can serve as a starting point to explore these issues in models with a larger number of periods of life, and show how it can be solved. We provide a general risk sharing condition, and discuss its implications. We explore the properties of the model quantitatively. Among the key findings are the following. First and for reasonable parameters, the old typically bear a larger burden of the risk in productivity surprises, if old-age risk-aversion is smaller than life risk aversion, and vice versa. Thus, it is not necessarily the case that the young ensure smooth consumption of the old. Second, consumption of the young and the old always move in the same direction, even for population growth shocks. This result is in contrast to the result of a fully-funded decentralized system without risk-sharing between generations. Third, persistent increases in longevity will lead to lower total consumption of the old (and thus certainly lower per-period consumption of the old) as well as the young as well as higher work effort of the young. The additional resources are instead used to increase growth and future output, resulting in higher consumption of future generations.

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Paper provided by Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany in its series SFB 649 Discussion Papers with number SFB649DP2006-066.

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Length: 96 pages
Date of creation: Sep 2006
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Handle: RePEc:hum:wpaper:sfb649dp2006-066

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Related research
Keywords: Social optimum pension systems risk sharing overlapping generations

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
E61 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Policy Objectives; Policy Designs and Consistency; Policy Coordination
E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy
O40 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General
H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions

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References listed on IDEAS
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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. Christian Stoltenberg, 2006. "Real Balance Effects, Timing and Equilibrium Determination," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2006-073, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  2. Jenny Kragl & Julia Schmid, 2006. "Relational Contracts and Inequity Aversion," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2006-085, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  3. Dirk Temme & Henning Kreis & Lutz Hildebrandt, 2006. "PLS Path Modeling – A Software Review," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2006-084, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  4. Tim Grebe & Julia Schmid & Andreas Stiehler, 2006. "Do Individuals Recognize Cascade Behavior of Others? - An Experimental Study -," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2006-079, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
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  5. Dirk Temme & Lutz Hildebrandt, 2006. "Formative Measurement Models in Covariance Structure Analysis: Specification and Identification," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2006-083, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  6. Matthias Paustian & Christian Stoltenberg, 2006. "Optimal Interest Rate Stabilization in a Basic Sticky-Price Model," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2006-072, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
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  7. Enzo Giacomini & Wolfgang Härdle & Ekaterina Ignatieva & Vladimir Spokoiny, 2006. "Inhomogeneous Dependency Modelling with Time Varying Copulae," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2006-075, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  8. Szymon Borak & Wolfgang Härdle & Stefan Trück & Rafal Weron, 2006. "Convenience Yields for CO2 Emission Allowance Futures Contracts," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2006-076, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  9. Ying Chen & Wolfgang Härdle & Vladimir Spokoiny, 2006. "GHICA - Risk Analysis with GH Distributions and Independent Components," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2006-078, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  10. Carsten Trenkler & Pentti Saikkonen & Helmut Lütkepohl, 2006. "Testing for the Cointegrating Rank of a VAR Process with Level Shift and Trend Break," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2006-067, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
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