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INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE IN PENSION REFORM. PENSION REFORM UNDER AN AGING POPULATION IS A WORLD-WIDE AGENDA. PUBLIC P ENSIONS: R EFORM D RIVERS. Fiscal Pressure Short-term pressure and consequences of un-sustainability: macro instability and crowding-out of other social expenditure
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PENSION REFORM UNDER AN AGING POPULATION IS A WORLD-WIDE AGENDA
PUBLIC PENSIONS: REFORM DRIVERS • Fiscal Pressure • Short-term pressure and consequences of un-sustainability: macro instability and crowding-out of other social expenditure • Long-term pressure and aging of population • Need to align Systems with Socioeconomic Changes • Increase in life-expectancy and old-age pension • Increase in life-expectancy and disability pension • Divorces and widow’s pensions • Provide affordable and adequate benefits • Challenges and Opportunities in Globalization • Mobility across professions and countries • Reacting to shocks – diversified retirement income? • Financial Sector development – a crucial element to a absorb shocks and to diversify risks
REFORM TRENDS AND LESSONS • Move toward multi-pillar scheme with • Reformed unfunded first pillar, with better contribution benefit link or flat benefit and higher retirement ages • Often new second funded pillar • Developing voluntary and funded pillar • Zero pillar providing poverty alleviation for elderly • Country innovations • Notional Defined Contribution System to reform first (unfunded and earnings-related) pillar (Sweden, Latvia, Poland, Italy) • Clearing house approach to reduce costs of funded schemes (Sweden, Poland, Argentina, Croatia, Slovak Republic, Bulgaria, and soon Chile?) • Introducing nation-wide voluntary schemes with opting-out option (NZ, UK) • Toward harmonization/coordination of schemes across occupations, sectors and countries (for equity and portability reasons) – challenge for European Union
NEED TO RISE AND EQUILIZE RETIREMENT AGE Source: WB Working Paper 129, 2008
DECLINING REPLACEMENT RATES Source: WB Working Paper 129, 2008 Moldova 44.9 1995 26.7 2006
DUE TO CHANGING INDEXATION FORMULA Moldova 50 50
AND REDUCING ACCRUAL RATES MOLDOVA 1.2% UP TO 35 Source: WB Working Paper 129, 2008
WIDENING CONTRIBUTION BASES AND UNIFICATION OF CONTRIBUTION RATES AND PROGRAMS • Moldova still excludes certain income categories from contributions (hotmeals, transport, bonuses, honoraria, perdiems...), • Efforts to equilize contribution rates and bases, but still different (minimum) contribution bases, • Gradual incorporation of special systems into general and reducing privileges (to improve labor flexibility and equity), • Attempts to incorporate farmers and self-employed into the general system,
TO REDUCE HIGH CONTRIBUTION RATES MOLDOVA 29%
READINESS OF THE FINANCIAL SECTOR FOR SECOND PILLAR • General readiness indicators include • Macroeconomic stability • A sound financial infrastructure • An adequate regulatory and supervisory capacity • A government’ commitment for continuing structural reforms • administrative framework (contribution collection, reporting, individual accounts, payments system) • How does Moldova score on readiness indicators?
CONCLUSIONS • Wide variety of pension system designs worldwide • Moldovan 1998/1999 PAYG reform is similar to others in the region • Public choice to raise current replacement rates or search for long term sustainability • Unification strategy (continuation of 1998/99 pension reform) could provide fiscal space • Policy makers could then consider reducing contributions or second pillar introduction • For pension funds to deliver the adequate rates of return will require major and sustained reforms in financial sector