First published in 1948, theInternational Social Security Reviewis the principal international quarterly publication in the field of social security.

Articles by leading social security experts present international comparisons and in-depth discussions of topical questions and studies of social security systems in different countries.

ISSA member organizations can freely access the complete current issue of the Review in English and previous issues in the electronic archive (since 1967 for articles published in English; for 2007-2013 for articles published in French, German and Spanish) viaMy ISSA.

Commencing in 2014, theInternational Social Security Reviewis published in English only, and abstracts of all new articles are available in eight languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

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Consult afree sample issueof theInternational Social Security Reviewonline, or visitWiley Online Libraryto browse contents and abstracts of all issues. For further information on how to access the articles please visit Wiley'sLibrarian Site.

Abstracts (current issue: January-Mars 2019, Volume 72,Issue4)

KOEN CAMINADA, KEES GOUDSWAARD, CHEN WANG AND JINXIAN WANG

Has the redistributive effect of social transfers and taxes changed over time across countries?

In most Member countries of theOrganisationfor Economic Co-operation Development (OECD), the income gap between rich and poor has widened over the past decades. This article analyses whether and to what extent income taxes and social transfers have contributed to this trend. Has the redistributive impact of different socialprogrammeschanged over time? We usemicrodatafrom the LIS Cross National Data Center in Luxembourg for the period 1982–2014 and study both the total population and the working-age population. In contrast to the results of some other studies, especially by the OECD, we do not find that redistribution has declined. Tax-benefit systems around 2013 are more effective at reducing income inequality compared to the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s, especially among the total population. Changes in socialprogrammesare not a driver of greater income inequality across the countries included in this study.

The full articleis freely available under an open access copyright agreement

MAGNUS PIIRITS AND ANDRES VÕRK

The effects on intra-generational inequality of introducing a funded pension scheme: Amicrosimulationanalysis for Estonia

This article uses a single male cohortmicrosimulationmodel toanalysethe intra-generational and distributional effects of a shift in Estonia from a defined benefit pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pension system to a multi-pillared system with a PAYG scheme with contribution-based insurance components and a funded pension scheme. We contribute to the literature onmicrosimulationby showing how introducing contribution-based insurance components and compulsory defined contribution (DC) schemes can increase pension inequality. Our results show that in the case of a high level of inequality inlabourearnings and high long-term unemployment rates, such as in Estonia, the introduction of a very strong link between contributions and future benefits leads to considerably higher inequality in pension incomes as measured by theGinicoefficient. Simulation results for Estonia suggest that inequality in old-age pension incomes more than doubles when the reforms mature. In contrast, the inequality in replacement rates decreases.

LENA M. BANKS, MATTHEW WALSHAM, HOANG VAN MINH, DOAN THI THUY DUONG, TRAN THU NGAN, VU QUYNH MAI, KARL BLANCHE* AND HANNAH KUPER

Access to social protection among people with disabilities: Evidence from Viet Nam

Although people with disabilities are frequently targeted as key beneficiaries of social protection, little is known on their access to existingprogrammes. This study uses mixed methods to explore participation in disability-targeted and non-targeted social protectionprogrammesin Viet Nam, particularly in the district of Cam Le. In this district, social assistance and health insurance coverage among people with disabilities was 53 per cent and 96 per cent respectively. However, few accessed employment-linked social insurance and other disability-targeted benefits (e.g. vocational training, transportation discounts). Factors affecting access included the accessibility of the application process, disability assessment procedures, awareness and the perceived utility ofprogrammes, and attitudes on disability and social protection.

JOSÉ ALVES, DANIELA CRAVEIRO, MARIA TERESA GARCIA AND PAULA ALBUQUERQUE

The impact of international migration on the public pension system: The case of Portugal

This article analyses the impact of replacement migration on the financial sustainability of the old-age pension system in Portugal, a country with one of the largest ageing populations in Europe. We do this using demographic forecasts and prospective exercises for the evolution of the Portuguese economy. During the 2015–2060period, our results evidence the positive impacts of international migration on old-age pension system financial balances, reaching over 3 per cent of GDP after 2045. Moreover, even when taking into considering the low dynamics for the Portuguese economy, replacement migration is an important input to improve pension system financial sustainability.

MILVA GERI, MARIANA DE SANTIS AND NEBEL MOSCOSO

Inequity in access to theArgentinianpension system (1994-2017)

Pension coverage in Argentina is inequitably distributed between different income levels, both during working years and during retirement. The objective of the article is to study the evolution of inequity of access to theArgentinianpension system in terms of its association with the socio-economic status of individuals during the period 1994–2017. An evaluation is offered of how variables such as sex, age, and educational attainment influence such inequity. It is concluded that, although the level of average coverage increased, inequity of access increased significantly in the years following the 1994 reform, both among the active and the inactive population. However, inequity of access among active persons did not improve substantially with the return to the pay-as-you-go pension system, while it was considerably reduced among the inactive population. While the former are found to be affected to a greater extent in terms of coverage as a result of the pro-educated bias among the active population, the latter outcome is thought to be a direct result of the transitory plans for pension inclusion, after which inequity was to resume its upward course.

Source:https://www.issa.int/en_GB/resources/international-social-security-review