Search

In recent decades, many European governments have passed pension reforms to incentivise participation in private pension plans. However, we still have minimal understanding of whether participation in such plans is concentrated in certain groups or spread uniformly across society, or what their stability over time is. To illuminate the social selectivity of these plans and potential changes in that selectivity over time, we analyse six waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in ten European countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Specifically, we focus on participation gaps in individual and occupational plans of workers across six dimensions: gender, education, age, social class, income, and risk preference. The results indicate large and persistent social divides in participation rates. As expected, rates are significantly higher among workers who are not close to retirement, those with an upper service occupation and those with high income. Importantly, these divides did not shrink significantly over the period considered – 2006 to 2021. Social selectivity is not consistently smaller in contexts of more mature private pension provision, whereas it is consistently smaller in countries with more generous public pensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many pension reforms in OECD countries included pension statements with the objective of improving individuals' financial security in retirement. Our objective is to assess the effectiveness of the pension information policy implemented in France and to investigate whether the pension statement results in better informed workers, who then increase their retirement savings. Using regression discontinuity designs combined with quantile regressions, we assess whether the changes in retirement savings and holding of assets are due to the pension information system and then quantify the impact. We conclude that a pension estimate sent to workers encourages the wealthiest to increase their retirement savings while it does not influence the savings of individuals with a low level of wealth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Increasing longevity and lower birth rates put pressure on the sustainability of pension systems. This compels countries to reform pension schemes. Different countries opt for different types of reforms. This article examines the scope of possibilities for a pension reform in two countries with distinct institutional and ideational setup: Finland and France. Design/methodology/approach: The authors utilise the framework of different modes of justification presented by Boltanski and Thévenot to reveal the reasoning used in pension reform discussions in both countries. The authors study expert reports to analyse how nationally constructed ideas and local institutions frame and shape the different logics and justifications. Findings: In Finland, the approach to pensions is dominated by industrial and market justifications. The pension system is institutionally separated into two different blocks: one addressing poverty and the other income maintenance. The separation enables the prevalence of these logics and makes it easier to promote reforms that emphasize efficiency and individual responsibility instead of income distribution. The French report is concentrated around civic and domestic dominated justifications by stressing solidarity and the role of pension systems connecting individuals and generations together. Any reform needs to consider these issues. Originality/value: The article uses a novel research design to study pension reform processes. The article distinguishes the roles that ideas and institutions have in shaping expert reasoning and reform options. The authors show how ideas and institutions form a mutually reinforcing loop which helps to explain path-dependency in pension systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries worldwide resort to quotas in order to favour the employment of disabled people. Yet, the quota as a policy tool has an ambivalent meaning: while it has been conceived as an advanced form of antidiscrimination policy tool in domains such as gender and racial inequalities, in the sector of disability, it has tended to be theorized as an outdated measure, belonging to a social welfare perspective opposed to the more recent equalitarian policy frame. This article revisits this theoretical debate on the disability employment quota by shifting the focus from a normative discussion to an empirical investigation of the meanings policymakers have endowed it with. I draw on the case of France, where the quota scheme is a cornerstone of disability employment policy: post–World War I provisions were at the origin of a series of reforms extending and reinforcing the quota, in 1957, 1987 and 2005 – leading to the current 6% disabled worker quota imposed to private and public organizations of 20 employees or more. Tracing the historical trajectory of this policy tool and its uses by means of parliamentary debates and secondary sources, I show how quotas in France have had more complex meanings than what the social welfare versus antidiscrimination dichotomy suggests. Before the rise of antidiscrimination policy, they were thought of as a progressive form of social policy, as opposed to more segregative interventions such as pensions or sheltered employment. The adoption of antidiscrimination provisions in 2005 then led to a hybridization between quotas and antidiscrimination policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jurídicas CUC is the property of Corporacion Universidad de la Costa, CUC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: In France, daily smoking has been highly prevalent among low-income smokers. Objectives: Our aim was to search for factors associated with both continued abstinence and attempting to quit among low-income disabled smokers. Methods: From the French national smoking cessation cohort CDT-net, we included 1624 adults living with disability pension or disabled adult allowance. Our dependent variables (abstainers, attempting to quit among non-abstainers) were used in logistic regressions. Continued abstinence was defined as self-reports of no smoking for more than 28 days and attempting to quit was defined as self-reports of no smoking for less than 28 days; both validated with carbon monoxide < 10 ppm. Results: The average age was 48.5 years, with a predominance of men (55.5%). Achieved continued abstinence was 29.9% and was positively associated with age ≥ 55, history of previous attempts, low-dependence, and number of consultations during follow-up (all p <.05). Depression history, anxiety symptoms and cannabis use were negatively associated with continued abstinence (p <.05). Quit attempts were associated with lower dependence and number of consultations during follow-up. Pharmacological treatments prescribed at inception did not contribute to improve continued abstinence rates but varenicline was found to increase quit attempts unless the number of prescriptions was scarce. Conclusion: Even among low-income disabled smokers, achieving continued abstinence and attempting to quit could be promoted with similar predictors than among affluent smokers. Treatment of anxiety symptoms and specific support for smokers with a depression history could be included in the follow-up of quit attempts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A specificity of the current French system is that a private sector worker is currently covered by two mandatory public pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) schemes: a general defined benefit (DB) scheme — which is the main component — managed by the state and a points scheme (AgircArrco) managed by social partners, together representing about 70% of paid benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Population & Sociétés is the property of Institut National d'Etudes Demographiques and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The migrant mortality advantage (MMA) has been observed in many immigrant-receiving countries, but its underlying factors remain poorly understood. This article examines the role of return migration selection effects in explaining the MMA among males aged 65+ using a rich, unique dataset from France. This dataset contains information on native-born and foreign-born pensioners who are tracked worldwide until they die, providing a rare opportunity to assess return migration selection effects and their impact on the MMA. Results provide evidence of substantial and systematic negative return migration selection among foreign-born males in France. Old-age returns, in particular, appear particularly affected by such selection; however, they are not frequent enough to explain the MMA at ages 65+. By contrast, returns at younger ages are much more frequent, and the MMA at ages 65+ essentially disappears once these earlier returns are considered. This study extends the literature on negative selection at return and its impact on the MMA by providing evidence that such negative selection may operate not only at older ages but throughout the life course, with impacts on the MMA that are larger than previously suggested., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors.)

The actuarial cost of a worker, per year of service, is the expected discounted sum of net real wages and pension benefits earned by a worker over her life cycle, divided by the number of years of service. We show the possibility of reforms such that (i) the actuarial cost of a worker per year of service is reduced, (ii) the utility of workers does not decrease, and (iii) the pension fund deficits do not increase. We propose a quantitative analysis of the 2008 reform of the Paris Metro pensions as an illustration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the redistribution and welfare effects of increasing the flexibility of individual pension take-up. We use an overlapping-generations model with Beveridgean pay-as-you-go pensions and heterogeneous individuals who differ in ability and lifespan. We find that introducing flexible pension take-up can induce a Pareto improvement when the initial pension scheme contains within-cohort redistribution and induces early retirement. Such a Pareto improving reform entails the application of uniform actuarial adjustment of pension entitlements based on average lifespan. Introducing actuarial non-neutrality that stimulates later retirement further improves such a flexibility reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the New Left in France. It highlights the decline in radical left Maoist and Trotskyist parties as well as the French Communist Party (PCF). It also notes the renewal during the November-December 1995 strike towards the proposal of former Prime Minister Alain Juppé in cutting social security and pensions in the country.

As in other countries around the world, where reductions to the pension system have become all too common, a growing concern of French employees is how to achieve financial security in their years of retirement. PERCO (Plan d’épargne pour la retraite collectif, or Group Retirement Savings Plan) schemes have the purpose to encourage workers to use voluntary, funded plans to supplement the traditional pay-as-you-go retirement pillars. Similar to a 401(k) plan, its dual nature of voluntary savings scheme and occupational retirement plan offers a flexible approach that allows employers to respond to variable business conditions as well as offer a third-pillar retirement option to the workforce. This article provides an overview of the general features of PERCO schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

BACKGROUND: Since 2010, French companies must integrate or retain seniors to avoid a fine of 1% of their payroll. OBJECTIVE: This work examines how to integrate the aging of employees into occupational health policies. METHODS: The literature on the complex relationships between age, work and health has been reviewed, and the feasibility of potential actions has been addressed. RESULTS: In the company setting, few diseases are specific to seniors. With retirement age postponing, chronic diseases may appear more frequently in people still working. Physiological aging linked to a functional decline is variable. Occupational wear and tear can result in some functional deterioration. Seniors can experience difficulties coping with heavy time demands that restrict their ability to organize the work, with physical stresses due to their diminished muscular capacity, and with unconventional schedules that have long-term deleterious effects on sleep quality and alertness. CONCLUSIONS: This position paper makes recommendations for adapting work organization and occupational medical care. Protective measures for seniors should be integrated in a global approach to improving work conditions for all. Aging employees need some leeway to develop experience-based strategies for bypassing new difficulties. Revising work rhythms and developing autonomy seem to be means for progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the appropriateness of a public or private orientation of pension systems in the light of the recent financial crisis, which has underscored the difficulties and contradictions associated with each system. The different institutional arrangements, in which public or private pension systems are embedded, are key components when assessing their responses to the crisis. Particularly, private pension systems are intertwined with financial markets, while social insurance-based pension systems are linked to the labour market mechanisms. This paper compares the British and French pension systems, as “archetypes” of private-oriented and public-oriented systems, respectively, the first relying on the market and private pension schemes, and the second on mandatory social insurance. This paper shows that the crisis has upheld the founding principles of the public (French) and private (British) pension systems to maintain the existing institutional configurations. At the same time, both systems have strengthened the role played by means-tested benefits and minimum pensions for low-income groups to offset the weaknesses of one or the other system, as emphasised by the crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the social security system and it's development in France is analysed; the analysis, the assumptions of the complexity of the French system and the relations between general and special system - independant professions social security systems is presented. In this article author analyses the level of the social insurance contributions, identifies specific types of benefits, other specific regulations in the general and independant professions social insurance schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economists' Forum / Közgazdász Fórum is the property of Hungarian Economists' Society of Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper analyses the evolution of the French pension system from the mid-nineteenth century to the current period. Competing or complementary hypotheses that can explain the long-run rise in pension expenditure are discussed. The determinants that appear to offer the best explanation for the evolution of pension expenditure are economic growth, the process of industrialization and ageing. The time series related to these determinants are cointegrated over the long run. A multivariate model is estimated in order to assess the long-run elasticities between the pension expenditure and its main determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sociologia del Lavoro is the property of FrancoAngeli srl and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background Factors that increase the risk of labour market exclusion are poorly understood. In this study, we examined the extent to which all-cause and diagnosis-specific sick leave predict subsequent disability pension (DP). Methods Prospective cohort study of 20 434 persons employed by the French national gas and electric company (the GAZEL study). New sick-leave spells >7 days in 1990-1992 were obtained from company records. Follow-up for DP was from 1994 to 2007. Results The HR, adjusted for age and occupational position, for DP was 3.5 (95% CI 2.7 to 4.5) in men and 2.6 (95% CI 1.9 to 3.5) in women with one or more sick-leave spells >7 days compared with those with no sick leave. The strongest predictor of DP was sick leave with a psychiatric diagnosis, HR 7.6 (95% CI 5.2 to 10.9) for men and 4.1 (95% CI 2.9 to 5.9) for women. Corresponding HRs for sick leave due to circulatory diagnoses in men and women were 5.6 (95% CI 3.7 to 8.6) and 3.1 (95% CI 1.8 to 5.3), for respiratory diagnoses 3.9 (95% CI 2.6 to 5.8) and 2.6 (95% CI 1.7 to 4.0), and musculoskeletal diagnoses 4.6 (95% CI 3.4 to 6.4) and 3.3 (95% CI 2.2 to 4.8), respectively. Conclusions Sick leave with a psychiatric diagnosis is a major risk factor for subsequent DP, especially among men. Sick leave due to musculoskeletal or circulatory disorders was also a strong predictor of DP. Diagnosis-specific sick leave should be recognised as an early risk marker for future exclusion from the labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revue Française de Gestion is the property of John Libbey Eurotext Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article reviews three attempts at pension restructuring in France: the 1993 Balladur Reform, the 1995 Juppé Plan and the 2003 Raffarin Reform. It argues that most academic accounts place undue emphasis on elite-level interaction in the policymaking process instead of focussing on the ways in which such interaction is decisively shaped by tensions within the labour movement. Specifically, trade-union leaders confront the government as members of the labour bureaucracy--a contradictory social stratum which seeks to reconcile the antagonistic interests of its working-class base with the exigencies of capital and the state. Insofar as it performed a social control function during socio-political crises threatening to derail pension reform, the labour bureaucracy acted in ways that are not easily explained by standard theoretical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]