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Public pension funding in practice

Author

Listed:
  • MUNNELL, ALICIA H.
  • AUBRY, JEAN-PIERRE
  • QUINBY, LAURA

Abstract

Public pension funding has recently become a front-burner policy issue in the wake of the financial crisis and given the pending retirement of large numbers of baby boomers. This paper examines the current funding of state and local pensions using a sample of 126 plans, estimating an aggregate funded ratio in 2009 of 78% using GASB accounting methods. Projections for 2010–2013 suggest that some continued deterioration is likely. Funded status can vary significantly among plans, and so the paper explores the influence of four types of factors: funding discipline, plan governance, plan characteristics, and the fiscal situation of the state. Judging the long-term health of plans requires more than just a snapshot of assets and liabilities, and so the paper examines how well plans are meeting their Annual Required Contributions and what factors influence whether they make them. The paper also addresses the controversy over what discount rate to use for valuing liabilities, concluding that using a riskless rate of return could help improve funding discipline but would need to be implemented in a manageable way. Finally, the paper assesses whether plans face a near-term liquidity crisis and finds that most have assets on hand to cover benefits over the next 15–20 years. The bottom line is that, like private investors, public plans have been hit hard by the financial crisis and their full recovery is dependent on the rebound of the economy and the stock market.

Suggested Citation

  • Munnell, Alicia H. & Aubry, Jean-Pierre & Quinby, Laura, 2011. "Public pension funding in practice," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 10(2), pages 247-268, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jpenef:v:10:y:2011:i:02:p:247-268_00
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    Cited by:

    1. James R. Barth & Sunghoon Joo & Kang Bok Lee, 2018. "Another look at the determinants of the financial condition of state pension plans," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 42(3), pages 421-450, July.
    2. 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.
    3. Jeffrey R. Brown & Robert Clark & Joshua Rauh, 2011. "The Economics of State and Local Public Pensions," NBER Working Papers 16792, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Barth, James R. & Bolden, Nicholas & Joo, Sunghoon & Hilliard, Jitka, 2017. "Do Political Parties Matter for the Funding Status of State Pension Plans?," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, Mid-Continent Regional Science Association, vol. 48(3), November.
    5. Sutirtha Bagchi, 2021. "The effects of political competition on the funding of public‐sector pension plans," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 50(3), pages 691-725, September.
    6. Robert K. Triest & Bo Zhao, 2013. "The role of economic, fiscal, and financial shocks in the evolution of public sector pension funding," Working Papers 13-26, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    7. Christian Dippel, 2019. "Political Parties Do Matter in U.S. Cities ... For Their Unfunded Pensions," NBER Working Papers 25601, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Al-Hassan, Hassana & Devolder, Pierre, 2022. "Stochastic Modellization of Hybrid Public Pension Plans (PAYG) under Demographic Risks with Application to the Belgian Case," LIDAM Discussion Papers ISBA 2022042, Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Statistics, Biostatistics and Actuarial Sciences (ISBA).
    9. John A. Dove & Courtney A. Collins & Daniel J. Smith, 2018. "The impact of public pension board of trustee composition on state bond ratings," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 51-73, February.
    10. Luc Godbout & Yves Trudel & Suzie St-Cerny, 2013. "Le régime de rentes du Québec : le rendement différencié selon l’année de prise de la retraite de 1968 jusqu’en 2056," L'Actualité Economique, Société Canadienne de Science Economique, vol. 89(2), pages 89-113.
    11. Dominique Durant & David Lenze & Marshall B. Reinsdorf, 2014. "Adding Actuarial Estimates of Defined-Benefit Pension Plans to National Accounts," NBER Chapters, in: Measuring Wealth and Financial Intermediation and Their Links to the Real Economy, pages 151-203, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. repec:nbr:nberch:12836 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Dean Baker, 2011. "The Origins and Severity of the Public Pension Crisis," CEPR Reports and Issue Briefs 2011-04, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).
    14. Yongqing Cong & Milena I. Neshkova & Howard A. Frank, 2017. "Path Dependence in Pension Policy: The Case of Florida Local Governments," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(4), pages 92-110, December.
    15. Dashle Kelley, 2014. "The political economy of unfunded public pension liabilities," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 158(1), pages 21-38, January.
    16. Sutirtha Bagchi, 2013. "The Effects of Political Competition on the Funding and Generosity of Public-Sector Pension Plans," 2013 Papers pba941, Job Market Papers.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare

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