'This is an enlightening introduction to the global dimensions and complexity of
pension reform. Recommended.'
- J.F. O'Connell, Choice
Population ageing and the resulting pressures on existing pension systems constitutes one
of the most important challenges modern societies will have to face over the coming
decades. Although governments have responded to such pressures by adopting a plethora of
pension reforms, the adaptation process is far from over. This book comprehensively
documents developments in pension policy in eleven advanced industrial countries in
Western Europe, East Asia and North America.
Contents: 1. Population Ageing and the Logics of Pension Reform in Western Europe, East
Asia and North America 2. Reconfiguring Italian Pensions: From Policy Stalemate to
Comprehensive Reforms 3. New Century - New Paradigm: Pension Reforms in Germany 4. The
Politics of Pension Reform in France: The End of Exceptionalism? 5. Pension Reform in
Sweden: Radical Reform in a Mature Pension System 6. UK Pension Reform: A Test Case for a
Liberal Welfare State? 7. Switzerland: Adapting Pensions within Tight Institutional
Constraints 8. The Politics of Pension Reform in Japan: Institutional Legacies,
Credit-claiming, and Blame Avoidance 9. Pension Reform in Taiwan: Th e Old and the New
Politics of Welfare 10. Pension Reform in Korea: Conflict between Social Solidarity and
Long-term Financial Sustainability 11. Public Pension Reform in the United States 12.
Stasis Amidst Change: Canadian Pension Reform in an Age of Retrenchment Index
Contributors: K.M. Anderson, D. Béland, G. Bonoli, M. Ferrera, K. Hinrichs, M. Jessoula,
Y.M. Kim, K.-s. Kim, C.-W. Lin, C. Mandin, J. Myles, B. Palier, T. Shinkawa, P.
Taylor-Gooby, R.K. Weaver
296 pages Hardback