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Population Aging, Social Security, and the New Immigration Policy in Germany

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  • S. Nuray Akin

    (Department of Economics, University of Miami)

Abstract

I construct a heterogeneous agent overlapping generations model with agents differing in age, origin (immigrant or native), and working ability. Calibrating the model to the German economy, I explicitly take into account differences in inter-generational transmission of working ability, fertility, and the main features of the German social security and tax systems. I analyze the impacts of exogenous immigration policy changes on the evolution of population, government accounts, and welfare along the transition path. I find that an inflow of high-skilled immigrants that is equal to 0.2 percent of the population per year increases welfare for all types of agents on the new balanced growth path (by 2.8 to 0.1 percent depending on the type of the agent). The key to the results is the interaction between the German pension system, equilibrium prices, and the decline in pensioner-contributor ratio. My results show that a reasonable immigrant inflow (0.2 percent of the population per year) may increase welfare and reinforce the sustainability of the social security system, which is in contrast to Fehr, Jokisch, and Kotlikoff (2004).

Suggested Citation

  • S. Nuray Akin, 2007. "Population Aging, Social Security, and the New Immigration Policy in Germany," Working Papers 0717, University of Miami, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:mia:wpaper:0717
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    File URL: https://www.herbert.miami.edu/_assets/files/repec/wp-0717.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alan J. Auerbach & Jagadeesh Gokhale & Laurence J. Kotlikoff, 1994. "Generational Accounting: A Meaningful Way to Evaluate Fiscal Policy," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(1), pages 73-94, Winter.
    2. Alan J. Auerbach & Laurence J. Kotlikoff & Robert Hagemann & Giuseppe Nicoletti, 1989. "The Dynamics of an Aging Population: The Case of Four OECD Countries," NBER Working Papers 2797, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    International Migration; Social Security; Aging; Overlapping; Generations Model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D6 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics
    • D58 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Computable and Other Applied General Equilibrium Models
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts

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