Börsch-Supan, Axel () (Sonderforschungsbereich 504) Reil-Held, Anette () (Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA) and Sonderforschungsbereich 504) Schnabel, Reinhold () (Fachb. Wirtschaftswiss., Universität-Gesamthochschule Essen)
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Aim of this paper is to study the provision of income to the elderly in Germany and to assess whether the German social security system provides an adequate retirement income in a sustainable way. Accordingly, the paper has two parts. The first part describes the German public old age social security program (''Gesetzliche Rentenversicherung'') and its incentive effects on retirement decisions. It presents the key features of the system and discusses the sustainabilita of the German pay-as-you-go system as the German population ages and the competitive pressures on wages and fringe benefits increases. The second part of the paper investigates the sources of income after retirement. It summarizes activity rates of older persons in Germany during the last 35 years and compares by income source the distribution of the income received by the elderly with the income received by younger Germans. The paper finds that retirement income in Germany is quite generous on average with a replacement rate of about 88 percent. It is also more evenly distributed than income of younger households. Nevertheless, we find households that appear overannuitized, e.g. single elderly male with a replacement rate in excess of 100 percent, as well as small pockets of poverty, e.g. single elderly women of whom between 3 and 6 percent have incomes below the poverty line.
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Paper provided by Sonderforschungsbereich 504, Universität Mannheim & Sonderforschungsbereich 504, University of Mannheim in its series Sonderforschungsbereich 504 Publications with number
98-07.
Length: 42 pages Date of creation: 04 Jun 1998 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:xrs:sfbmaa:98-07
Note: Financial Support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, SFB 504, at the University of Mannheim, is gratefully acknowledged. Contact details of provider: Postal: D-68131 Mannheim Phone: (49) (0) 621-292-2547 Fax: (49) (0) 621-292-5594 Email: Web page: http://www.sfb504.uni-mannheim.de/ More information through EDIRC
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Börsch-Supan, Axel & Reil-Held, Anette & Rodepeter, Ralf & Schnabel, Reinhold, .
"Household Savings in Germany,"
IVS discussion paper series
577, Institut für Volkswirtschaft und Statistik (IVS), University of Mannheim.
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