This paper employs panel estimators with data on the 50 American states for the years 1963 to 2006 to test the relationship between Unemployment Insurance (UI) trust fund solvency and UI benefit generosity. We find that both average and maximum weekly UI benefit amounts, as ratios to the average weekly wage, are higher in states and in years with…

An academic discipline and a profession eventually converge through the relationship, division of labor and trust between universities and professional associations--and their mutual respect for the authority and the respective roles of one another. Sometimes, professional associations evaluate academic programs or even provide an examination at…

Concern over Social Security's forecasted long-run deficit is occurring at a time when the program has a short-term surplus. One proposed strategy to address this forecasted deficit is to allow the investment of a portion of payroll taxes into private savings accounts (PSAs). The author analyzes recent proposals for PSAs and concludes that PSAs…

This article outlines the main features of the present pension insurance scheme in the Federal Republic of Germany, the proposals of the Commission of Experts to Study the Social Security Status of Women and Survivors, the prospects for their implementation, and the essential aspects of the reform. (CT)

Used historical evidence to analyze how private sector benefits worked in the past in light of the debate surrounding the Social Security benefits and the federal deficit. Among conclusions reached are that the private sector failed to provide adequate protection for older citizens, and that benefits were inequitably distributed on basis of gender…

TIAA-CREF, the largest college and university retirement system, reversed its prior policy and announced its intention to seek approval of a "unisex" mortality table for use in annuities. The Supreme Court decision in City of Los Angeles, Department of Water and Power v Manhart and related litigation are discussed. (MLW)

One of the major issues about college retirement programs is that of investment options and transferability of TIAA and/or CREF funds to alternative funds. Basic principles to be considered by college trustees involved in review or revision of their institution's pension plan are discussed. (MLW)

A policy statement on retirement and insurance plans formulated by the American Association of University Professors and the Association of American Colleges is presented. Retirement plans are seen to attract individuals, permit them to devote their energies to the profession, and to provide for an orderly retirement. (MLW)

Some of the major steps taken in selected market economies of Western Europe, North America, and Asia to strengthen their pension systems are presented. Countries that are examined include Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. (CT)

Three types of structures used in university systems to permit faculty and staff to take advantage of voluntary Tax Sheltered Annuity (TSA) programs are discussed. An innovative system at the University of Nevada is described. (MLW)

Information is provided on early and phased retirement plans of about 20 academic institutions. Eligibility requirements for participation in early retirement plans vary from campus to campus. Most plans have a requirement ranging from a minimum of 10 to 20 years of full-time (or part-time equivalent) service. There are basically two types of…

Various federal agencies and the courts are facing questions about the legality and potential discrimination in sex-segregated mortality tables and discrepancies in retirement and insurance benefits. By using unisex mortality tables, TIAA-CREF is an unwilling pioneer in the insurance industry, but the tables' ultimate form remains in question.…

In 1980, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association surveyed the post-1978 Age Discrimination in Employment Act amendment status of TIAA-CREF retirement and insurance plans in colleges and universities. The results of the survey are reported. (MLW)

The executive summary of of TIAA-CREF's Special Trustee Joint Committee's report "TIAA-CREF: The Future Agenda," cites new accumulation funds and pay-out vehicles; transferability of annuity accumulations; reporting, services, and planning for policy holders and institutions; and governance and implementation. (MLW)

Faculty members of America's universities and colleges, it is suggested, are finding the real world of academic life increasingly out of tune with the careers they prepared for. Seven faculty members are profiled whose careers illustrate difficulties academics may face at several stages of their lives. (MLW)