Pensions in the Middle East and North Africa: Time for Change

Robalino, David

Washington, DC:World Bank

关键词: PENSION SYSTEMS;    PENSION REFORMS;    POLICY AGENDA;    ECONOMIC SYSTEMS;    FRAMEWORK FOR PENSION REFORM;   

DOI  :  10.1596/978-0-8213-6185-6
RP-ID  :  34358

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This is the first comprehensiveassessment of pension systems in the Middle East and NorthAfrica. While other regions-Central Asia, Eastern Europe,and Latin America, in particular-have been activelyintroducing reforms to their pension systems, Middle Eastand North African countries have lagged behind. This isexplained, in part, by the common belief that, becausedemographics remain favorable-the countries are young andthe labor force is expanding rapidly-financial problems arefar in the future; as a result, pension reform does not haveto be a priority in the broader policy agenda. However, theauthors show that aging is not the only factor behind afinancial crisis; the problem is the generosity of thecurrent schemes. Moreover, badly designed benefit formulasand eligibility conditions introduce unnecessary economicdistortions and make the systems vulnerable to adversedistributional transfers. The book does not present ageneral model that could solve the problems of all pensionsystems in MENA countries. Instead the authors focus onoutlining a framework for guiding discussions on pensionreform and making objective policy choices.