IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/mcm/sedapp/176.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Pension Provision and Retirement Saving: Lessons from the United Kingdom

Author

Listed:
  • Richard Disney
  • Carl Emmerson
  • Matthew Wakefield

Abstract

We describe the trajectory of pension reform in the United Kingdom, which has focussed on keeping the cost of public pension programmes down during a period of steady population ageing whilst attempting to maintain an adequate minimum level of income security for low income households in retirement. Instruments for achieving these aims have been to target public benefits on low income households, permitting individuals to opt out of the second tier of the public programme into private retirement accounts, and the use of tax incentives to encourage additional private retirement saving. Frequent reforms to the pension programme raise the question of whether households can make reasonable private retirement saving provision in the light of growing complexity and potential shortcomings in individual decision-making. This paper sheds some light on these issues.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Disney & Carl Emmerson & Matthew Wakefield, 2007. "Pension Provision and Retirement Saving: Lessons from the United Kingdom," Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population Research Papers 176, McMaster University.
    • Handle: RePEc:mcm:sedapp:176
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/sedap/p/sedap176.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Richard Disney & Edward Whitehouse, 1992. "Personal pensions and the review of the contracting-out terms," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 13(1), pages 38-53, February.
    2. Georges de Menil & Robert Fenge & Pierre Pestieau, 2008. "Pension Strategies in Europe and the United States," Post-Print halshs-00754865, HAL.
    3. R Disney & C Emmerson & M Wakefield, 2001. "Pension reform and saving in Britain," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 17(1), pages 70-94, Spring.
    4. James Banks & Sarah Smith, 2006. "Retirement in the UK," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 22(1), pages 40-56, Spring.
    5. Milligan, Kevin, 2003. "How do contribution limits affect contributions to tax-preferred savings accounts?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 253-281, February.
    6. Richard Disney & Carl Emmerson & Matthew Wakefield, 2007. "Tax reform and retirement saving incentives: evidence from the introduction of stakeholder pensions in the UK," IFS Working Papers W07/19, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    7. John Karl Scholz & Ananth Seshadri & Surachai Khitatrakun, 2006. "Are Americans Saving "Optimally" for Retirement?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 114(4), pages 607-643, August.
    8. Richard Disney, 2004. "Are contributions to public pension programmes a tax on employment? [‘Welfare state and competitiveness’]," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 19(39), pages 268-311.
    9. Woojin Chung & Richard Disney & Carl Emmerson & Matthew Wakefield, 2006. "Public policy and retirement saving incentives in the UK," Discussion Papers 06/03, University of Nottingham, Centre for Finance, Credit and Macroeconomics (CFCM).
    10. Richard Disney & Carl Emmerson, 2005. "Public pension reform in the United Kingdom: what effect on the financial well-being of current and future pensioners?," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 26(1), pages 55-81, March.
    11. Richard Disney, 2006. "Household Saving Rates and the Design of Public Pension Programmes: Cross–Country Evidence," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 198(1), pages 61-74, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Paul Gregg, 2008. "UK Welfare Reform 1996 to 2008 and beyond: A personalised and responsive welfare system?," The Centre for Market and Public Organisation 08/196, The Centre for Market and Public Organisation, University of Bristol, UK.
    2. Danzer, Alexander M. & Dolton, Peter & Bondibene, Chiara Rosazza, 2016. "Who wins? Evaluating the impact of UK public sector pension scheme reforms," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 237, pages 38-46, August.
    3. Richard Disney & Carl Emmerson & Sarah Smith, 2004. "Pension Reform and Economic Performance in Britain in the 1980s and 1990s," NBER Chapters, in: Seeking a Premier Economy: The Economic Effects of British Economic Reforms, 1980–2000, pages 233-274, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Cagri Seda Kumru & John Piggott, 2010. "Should Public Retirement Pensions Be Means-tested?," DEGIT Conference Papers c015_049, DEGIT, Dynamics, Economic Growth, and International Trade.
    5. James Banks & Carl Emmerson & Gemma Tetlow, 2005. "Estimating pension wealth of ELSA respondents," IFS Working Papers W05/09, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    6. Richard Disney & Carl Emmerson & Matthew Wakefield, 2007. "Tax reform and retirement saving incentives: evidence from the introduction of stakeholder pensions in the UK," IFS Working Papers W07/19, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    7. M. Asghar ZaidiKlaas de Vos & CentER Applied Research & Tilburg University & The Netherlands, 2002. "Income Mobility of the Elderly in Great Britain and The Netherlands: A Comparative Investigation," Economics Series Working Papers 107, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Richard Disney & Carl Emmerson & Matthew Wakefield, 2010. "Tax Reform and Retirement Saving Incentives: Take‐up of Stakeholder Pensions in the UK," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 77(306), pages 213-233, April.
    2. van der Velde, Lucas, 2022. "Phasing out: Routine tasks and retirement," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 784-803.
    3. Kemmerling, Achim & Neugart, Michael, 2009. "Financial market lobbies and pension reform," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 163-173, June.
    4. Anne C. Gielen, 2009. "Working hours flexibility and older workers' labor supply," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 61(2), pages 240-274, April.
    5. Hans Fehr & Fabian Kindermann, 2010. "Pension Funding and Individual Accounts in Economies with Life-cyclers and Myopes," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo, vol. 56(3), pages 404-443, September.
    6. Richard Disney & Carl Emmerson & Sarah Smith, 2004. "Pension Reform and Economic Performance in Britain in the 1980s and 1990s," NBER Chapters, in: Seeking a Premier Economy: The Economic Effects of British Economic Reforms, 1980–2000, pages 233-274, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Richard Disney & Carl Emmerson & Matthew Wakefield, 2007. "Tax reform and retirement saving incentives: evidence from the introduction of stakeholder pensions in the UK," IFS Working Papers W07/19, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    8. Rowena Crawford & Richard Disney & Carl Emmerson, 2012. "Do up-front tax incentives affect private pension saving in the United Kingdom?," IFS Working Papers W12/05, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    9. Liran Einav & Amy Finkelstein & Paul Schrimpf, 2007. "The Welfare Cost of Asymmetric Information: Evidence from the U.K. Annuity Market," NBER Working Papers 13228, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Hans Fehr & Fabian Kindermann, 2010. "Pension Funding and Individual Accounts in Economies with Life-cyclers and Myopes," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 56(3), pages 404-443, September.
    11. Tito Boeri & Jan van Ours, 2013. "The Economics of Imperfect Labor Markets: Second Edition," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 10142.
    12. Mai Stafford & Rebecca Lacey & Emily Murray & Ewan Carr & Maria Fleischmann & Stephen Stansfeld & Baowen Xue & Paola Zaninotto & Jenny Head & Diana Kuh & Anne McMunn, 2019. "Work–family life course patterns and work participation in later life," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 83-94, March.
    13. Kalwij, Adriaan & Kanabar, Ricky, 2022. "State Pension eligibility age and retirement behaviour: evidence from the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study," ISER Working Paper Series 2022-05, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    14. Kaifala, Gabriel B. & Paisey, Catriona & Paisey, Nicholas J., 2021. "The UK pensions landscape – A critique of the role of accountants and accounting technologies in the treatment of social and societal risks," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    15. Jeffrey R. Brown & Julia Lynn Coronado & Don Fullerton, 2009. "Is Social Security Part of the Social Safety Net?," NBER Chapters, in: Tax Policy and the Economy, Volume 23, pages 37-72, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Maria Casanova-Rivas, 2008. "Dynamic Complementarities: A Computational and Empirical Analysis of Couples' Retirement Decisions," 2008 Meeting Papers 1073, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    17. Goda, Gopi Shah & Manchester, Colleen Flaherty & Sojourner, Aaron J., 2014. "What will my account really be worth? Experimental evidence on how retirement income projections affect saving," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 80-92.
    18. Berger, Johannes & Graf, Nikolaus & Schuh, Ulrich & Strohner, Ludwig, 2015. "Die Entwicklung der Abgabenbelastung von Einkommen im Zeitverlauf," Research Papers 3, EcoAustria – Institute for Economic Research.
    19. Klos, Alexander & Rottke, Simon, 2013. "Saving and Consumption When Children Move Out," VfS Annual Conference 2013 (Duesseldorf): Competition Policy and Regulation in a Global Economic Order 79786, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    20. Beshears, John & Choi, James J. & Laibson, David & Madrian, Brigitte C., 2011. "Behavioral economics perspectives on public sector pension plans," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 10(2), pages 315-336, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    pensions; social security; retirement saving;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:mcm:sedapp:176. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/demcmca.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.