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)

Countries with mature social security systems have declining rates of labor force participation of the aged. The experience of nine countries (United States, Canada, Belgium, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom) over the last two decades provided the statistical data presented and analyzed in the…

Social security systems in many countries have reached or may soon reach a state of crisis in terms of funding old age pension and other benefits. A reassessment of the appropriate role of public pension provision in the total income flow available to retirees is needed. (JOW)

As people live longer, produce fewer children, and retire earlier, the ratio of older people to working people is growing. This creates an imbalance in the replenishment of pension funds. Solutions include promoting training and flexibility for older workers, ending discrimination, and changing attitudes thorough education and information. (JOW)

One phenomenon that will attract the attention of social welfare historians is the change in perception of the roles of public and private pension systems. This change has led to a shift in attitude that will affect the structure of social welfare benefits of public and private systems. (JOW)

One of the major structural changes facing European economies is the adjustment to an older and more slowly growing population. Aging and lower fertility rates will result in a smaller proportion of the population being in the working age, especially after the year 2010. Estimates are that by 2030 there could be only 2 employed persons for every…

Examines the advantages and disadvantages of partial retirement--the transitional period between full-time employment and complete retirement--including easing the transition, labor market effects, and financial implications for social security systems and employers. Reviews partial retirement policies in eight countries and concludes that there…

This is the second of two volumes of selected papers presented at the 1996 conference "Changes in Working Hours in Canada and the United States." Eleven chapters explore an expanded set of working-time issues, which may be loosely grouped under these two topics: working time over the life cycle and nonstandard work arrangements.…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) studied selected nations' policies to increase the number of older workers participating in the labor force. The main data collection activities were as follows: (1) an analysis of population and labor force data from eight high-income Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development member nations; (2) an…