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This study analyzes national processes of pension reform in countries with systems of old-age provision largely following the Bismarckian type (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden). Operating on a defined benefit/pay-as-you-go basis and mainly financed out of wage-based social contributions, pension systems in these countries are highly vulnerable to demographic and economic pressures. Therefore, pension reform has emerged as a major issue in these countries since the late 1980s. Although there are substantial similarities in the direction of reform, the degree of policy change varies considerably even among countries with similar legacies in pension policy. A closer inspection of national patterns of pension policy making shows that the political feasibility of pension reforms and the degree of adjustment in pension policy critically depends on the government's ability to orchestrate a reform consensus either with the parliamentary opposition or with the trade unions. The study tries to identify the conditions under which a “pension pact” between those actors is likely to emerge. List of tables List of figures Introduction Chapter I: The need for pension reform – a problem-oriented perspective 1.1 Public pension arrangements under adaptational pressures 1.2 Specific vulnerabilities of Bismarckian pension systems 1.3 Options for reform 1.4 Varying degrees in the need of adjustment Chapter 2: An empirical overview of policy change in Bismarckian pension regimes Chapter 3: The politics of pension reform – an actor-centered explanatory framework 3.1 Social policy-making in an era of retrenchment – a review of theoretical approaches 3.2 The concept of actor-centered institutionalism 3.3 The politics of pension reform Chapter 4: Sweden - Policy-oriented bargaining Chapter 5: Italy - Corporatist concertation in the shadow of EMU Chapter 6: Germany - From consensus towards conflict Chapter 7: Austria - Reform blockage by the trade unions Chapter 8: France - Adverse prerequisites for a pension consensus Chapter 9: Conclusion Appendix I: Summary description of retirement systems (1986) Appendix II: Chronology of national pension reforms Appendix III: Glossary of terms Bibliography |
