Seeking growth under financial volatility

This volume deals with macroeconomic issues and their relationship to growth in emerging economies. Lack of economic growth has been a feature of Latin American economies since the 1980s. In this book the analysis is complemented by two studies focused in East Asia and South Africa. All country cases examined have exhibited low inflation but high instability of economic activity in the 1990s and early 2000s. These cases provide relevant theoretical implications for a broader understanding of real macroeconomic policies in economies vulnerable to the globalization of financial volatility.…

Social Security in the United States: Overview and Outlook

This document was prepared by Helvia Velloso, consultant of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC, Washington Office. Prepared as a support to the document Shaping the Future of Social Protection: Access, Financing and Solidarity presented in the XXXI ECLAC Session Period carried out in Montevideo, Uruguay during March, 20 to 24, 2006. The views expressed in this document, which has been reproduced without formal editing, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Organization. Introduction In response to …

The Canadian retirement income system

This document was prepared by Inés Bustillo, Helvia Velloso and François Y. Vezina, consultants of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC, Washington Office. Prepared as a support to the document Shaping the Future of Social Protection: Access, Financing and Solidarity presented in the XXXI ECLAC Session Period carried out in Montevideo, Uruguay during March, 20 to 24, 2006. The views expressed in this document, which has been reproduced without formal editing, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the…

Ciclo económico y programas de compensación social

Reseña Este documento fue preparado por Américo Ibarra Larra y Gonzalo Martner Fanta, Consultores de la Unidad de Estudios Especiales de CEPAL, bajo el componente de Macroeconomía, equidad y seguridad social, del proyecto CEPAL/GTZ: Policy Strategies for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean: Promotion of a Socially Sustainable Economic Policy (GER/01/31) , que contó con el apoyo de la Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zusammenarbeit (GTZ). Preparado como apoyo al documento La protección social de cara al futuro: Acceso, financiamiento y solidaridad pre…

Social security in the english-speaking Caribbean

This document was prepared by Oliver Paddison, Associate Economic Affairs Officer in the Economic Development Unit of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean. Prepared as a support to the document Shaping the Future of Social Protection: Access, Financing and Solidarity presented in the XXXI ECLAC Session Period carried out in Montevideo, Uruguay during March, 20 to 24, 2006. The views expressed in this document, which has been reproduced without formal editing, are those of the author and do not necess…

Non-contributory pensions: Bolivia and Antigua in an international context

Abstract The author examines the pension systems of Bolivia and Antigua in the context of non-contributory pensions around the world, concluding with policy lessons. Universal pensions available to everyone of eligible age, regardless of income, assets or employment history, have many advantages over targeted pensions. If targeting is desired, it is best done with ex post recovery from other income rather than ex ante means tests. For reasons that are unclear, governments almost always prefer ex ante tests to ex post controls for noncontributory pensions, even though the reverse is tr…

Shaping the future of social protection: access, financing and solidarity: summary

Shaping the Future of Social Protection: Access, Financing and Solidarity has been prepared by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) for presentation at the thirty-first session of the Commission (Montevideo, Uruguay, 20-24 March 2006). This publication is a summary of that document. Contents Why social protection? Towards a rights-based social protection system and covenant Towards guaranteed universal health-care coverage Pension system reforms Social programmes and the challenges they face Bibli…

The Latin American experience in pension system reform: coverage, fiscal issues and possible implications for China

In the past two decades, Latin American countries reformed their pension systems focusing mainly on addressing the weaknesses of the contributory schemes - fiscal unsustainability, low coverage levels and a high degree of segmentation- and barely addressed the non-contributory element. The reform experiences show however that the intended reforms did not manage to meet their objectives. Firstly, to this day, a large proportion of the population remains inadequately covered by the contributory system. Secondly, the fiscal performance and outcome of the reform was worse than originally planned. …

Inclusive social protection and demographic change: The implications of population ageing for social expenditure in the Caribbean

As population age structures change over the coming decades, the cost of providing public education, pensions and health care will change significantly. Falling child dependency ratios and increasing old-age dependency ratios will affect the number of people that receive education and pension benefits. The changing age profile of the population will also affect the demand for health services. This study analyses how public expenditure in these areas, in 10 Caribbean countries, is likely to evolve in response to these demographic changes. It describes how populations are ageing in the Caribbean…

Pension and income transfers for old age: Inter- and intra-generational distribution in comparative perspective

This document provides a world comparative analysis regarding the design and reform of pension systems in order to improve coverage, equality and sustainability. It looks at how pension systems, rules and financing affect coverage, sufficiency, and distribution as well as fiscal and intergenerational sustainability and equality.…

Social security reforms and their implications for the Caribbean

As in many other countries, the viability and sustainability of social security systems in the Caribbean is of concern to policy makers. Although systems in the region remain relatively young, liquid and healthy at this time, timely reform is necessary to prevent a crisis in the future. Reform is required to grapple with population ageing, a fairly large informal (non-contributing); sector in some countries, high open unemployment and the impact of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS);. Caribbean social security systems (pension branch); are defined benef…

Tercera Reunión - Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible - 2019

Public policy for pensions, health and sickness insurance

This document is prepared by Edward Palmer, Consultant of the Project ¨Inclusion of the European Nordic Model in the debate concerning reform of social protection schemes in Latin American and the Caribbean¨ (SWE/05/001). This project that the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is carrying out in the Social Development Division, with the financial support of Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). Prepared as a support to the document Shaping the Future of Social Protection: Access, Financing and Solidarity presented in the XXXI ECLAC Sess…

Public policy for pensions, health and sickness insurance: potential lessons from Sweden for Latin America

Abstract This paper discusses the rationale of social insurance and social insurance institutions as they have emerged and developed in economically mature nations. The aim of the paper is to present discuss experience in a perspective that can be useful for discussions in Latin America. Key issues in system and institution design are identified and discussed, and examined with reference to experience from Sweden. The paper contains three major sections and concludes with some final remarks. The first of these discusses the case for publicly mandated insurance. The second discusses mo…