Britain's Pensions Crisis: History and Policy

British pensions are in crisis. Yet in all the discussion of what exactly the crisis consists of, and how it might be addressed, attention to the history of how the crisis has come about is surprisingly lacking. History has much to tell us about how pensions have developed in Britain, how that development has shaped the crisis that we now face, and how decisions taken in the past constrain our options for the future. In this volume, leading experts on the past and present of pensions in Britain debate the present crisis, and the lessons of history for those seeking to craft solutions to it that are both effective and enduring. The volume also contains a number of chapters which draw important lessons from the experience of other European and North American countries over the past few decades. Containing reactions to the second report of the Pensions Commission and the government's response to it, Britain's Pensions Crisis will be essential reading for all those interested in the politics and economics of this key area of social policy. Contributors to this volume - Professor Gordon Clark, University of Oxford; Professor Maurizio Ferrara, State University of Milan; Frank Field MP, Chairman, Pensions Reform Group; Professor Jay Ginn, University of Surrey; Professor Howard Glennerster, LSE, Fellow of the British Academy; Professor Jose Harris, University of Oxford, Fellow of the British Academy; Professor John Hills, Pensions Commission /LSE; Professor Dr. Karl Hinrichs, University of Bremen; Baroness Hollis, DWP Parliamentary Under-secretary 2001-2005; Professor Paul Johnson, LSE; Dr Katherina Muller, German Development Institute, Bonn, Germany; Dr Hugh Pemberton, University of Bristol; Dr Steven A. Sass, Centre for Retirement Research, Boston College, USA; Professor Pat Thane, University of London; Professor Noel Whiteside, University of Warwick