Social Security Old-Age Benefits in Four OECD Countries: Policy Lessons for the United States

摘要

Retirement planning is a challenging issue, but John Turner of the Pension Policy Center, and David Rajnes of the US Social Security Administration offer some hopeful signs in their paper, Social Security Old-Age Benefits in Four OECD Countries: Policy Lessons for the United States, published in The Journal of Retirement. They look closely at the reform programs undertaken by four OECD countries for Social Security programs facing solvency and other challenges similar to those in the United States. The lessons learned in achieving sustainability may be timely for the United States.With the US program facing fiscal strain, the authors consider several policy areas pursued by the four countries, Canada, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom, selected because they have reformed their programs by means often mentioned in the US. They each differ in their approach, but they share the experience of having undertaken major reforms. The know-how demonstrated by these nations may be pertinent for the US as it weighs prescriptions to restore America's Social Security program, according to the authors in an interview with Institutional Investor Journals.