Non-contributory pensions: Bolivia and Antigua in an international context

The author examines the pension systems of Bolivia and Antigua in the context of non-contributory pensions around the world, concluding with policy lessons. Universal pensions available to everyone of eligible age, regardless of income, assets or employment history, have many advantages over targeted pensions. If targeting is desired, it is best done with ex post recovery from other income rather than ex ante means tests. For reasons that are unclear, governments almost always prefer ex ante tests to ex post controls for noncontributory pensions, even though the reverse is true for tax collection. The worst type of old age pension, from the point of view of poverty relief, is a minimum pension tied to a contributory system or to government service, for this excludes the poorest and most vulnerable from benefits. Key words: Bolivia, Antigua and Barbuda, non-contributory pensions, social security, targeting, means tests.