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In January 2006, the Dutch Association of Industry-wide Pension Funds (VB) told us about their plan to prepare a book on solidarity in collective pension systems. We were intrigued by this topic, both because of our - terest in the pension sector and because of the connection with solidarity in a cost-benefit approach. After some discussions with VB director Peter Borgdorff, we decided to start a project with leading scholars and prac- tioners, which was to result in a book. We hoped that the researchers could investigate the extent of value transfers within collective pension funds, so that quantitative indications of this institutionalized solidarity would - come publicly available. While the book was in progress, the discussion on solidarity and mandatory pension systems became very topical, and so 1 were the results of the analyses. When the book was released in Dutch , the chapter on costs differentials between pension funds and insurance companies also drew much attention. In the early months of 2007, the political and professional debates c- tinued, with increasing attention from pension experts from abroad. This made us decide to try and arrange a translated version of the book. We were happy to find Springer Verlag, and collaborate with their enthusi- tic publisher Dr. Niels Peter Thomas. We are also grateful to the Pension Science Trust (Stichting Pensioenwetenschap) for subsidizing the trans- tion by Language Lab, and to the earlier mentioned VB for their generous collaboration in getting the international edition released.
List of contents
The concept of solidarity.- Solidarities in collective pension schemes.- Solidarity: who cares?.- Quantifying solidarity.- Operating costs of pension schemes.- Optimal risk-sharing in private and collective pension contracts.- Intergenerational value transfers within an industry-wide pension fund -a value-based ALM analysis.- Intergenerational solidarity in the uniform contribution and accrual system.- Everyone gains, but some more than others.- Mandatory participation.- Why mandatory retirement saving?.- Mandatory participation for companies.- Conclusion.- Macroeconomic aspects of intergenerational solidarity.- Summary and conclusions.
Summary
The Dutch pension system is often praised as one of the best in the world: it is efficient, it provides certainty to participants and it preserves cohesion and solidarity among workers and pensioners. This book presents these benefits in detail, supported by quantitative evidence. It also discusses the aspects of the system that are less favourable, such as implicit value transfers from younger to older generations that limit mobility of labour. The analyses of both benefits and costs will help pension fund managers, boards of trustees, supervisors, and researchers to understand and to improve pension systems currently in place around the world. The book is explicitly recommended by Robert C. Merton (Nobel Laureate).
