Search results

Occupational pension plans help people to maintain their living standards after retirement. This article looks at differences in the design of occupational pensions in Belgium and the USA, and more specifically, at early access. The article shows that different cultural backgrounds influence occupational pension systems. Occupational pension plans are intended to provide retirement income, and assets should therefore not be used for non-retirement purposes such as holidays Credit card debts. However, both Belgium and the USA provide mechanisms for early access. In Belgium, early access to an occupational pension plan is, in principle, prohibited. The only exception is for the purchase of real estate since this fits within the Belgian pension philosophy that retirees should not have to spend any of their retirement income on rent. It is culturally established that pensions and house ownership are inter-connected. In the USA, early access is not prohibited but it is often discouraged. Leakages from occupational pension plans must be limited, but some flexibility needs to remain. Since participation in occupational pension plans ought to be encouraged, (too many) restrictions on access may discourage individuals from making contributions to those plans. This is the reason why there is greater flexibility towards early take up in the American private pension system.

Analysis of dynamics of indicators of the state and the state-guaranteed debt in Ukraine in recent years is carried out and imperatives of the growth of public debt are determined. It is found out that its primary factors were the expansion of financing of the state budget for budget support of the state sector of economy, banking system, as well as the financing of the budget deficit. It is concluded that the solving of such tasks was carried out under conditions of aggravation of financial risks, namely: revenue mobilization, attraction of an additional resource for the purpose of financing the budget deficit and deficit-debt adjustment, under-fulfilment of privatization plans, admission of high inflation, as well as depreciation of the national currency. It is noted that the growth of public debt was due to an increase in the state borrowings, which were used to repay obligations, cover the costs of conducting the active operations and shift part of the borrowings of corporations and institutions to the state budget. The conduct of active operations was aimed at providing the financial support to the state banks and state institutions, DGF and capitalization of some private banks. Changes in the volume of the state borrowings are disclosed in terms of the ratio of their internal and external components. The reasons and consequences of growth of costs of deficit-debt adjustment (active operations within the framework of the state budget) are determined. Under conditions of non-fulfillment of revenue plans from privatization of the state property, such a policy will lead to aggravation of fiscal risks (retention of high indicators of the state borrowings and debt financing at the expense of the NBU and the state banks). The policy of state borrowings (in terms of internal and external components) turned out to be inconsistent: sharp changes were allowed in attracting the resource from internal and external sources, and the implementation of debt policy was marked by significant peak load on the state budget as well as their high profitability both in domestic and foreign markets. The volume of loan servicing continued to grow, which became a factor of increasing budget expenditures. Financing of borrowings using the resources of the NBU and the state-owned banks were reaching high rates. The author proposes the directions of fiscal policy aimed at restraining and restricting the state and the state-guaranteed debt by introducing changes to fiscal policy in Ukraine.

Altres ajuts: EDU2008-00816/EDUC ; This article analyses how Education for All policies were transferred to Brazil and Latin America by means of ambitious educational strategic plans such as the Plan for the Development of Education and the National Education Plans promoted by the Federal Government of Brazil, and the Latin American Educational Goals promoted by the Organisation of Ibero American States (i.e. the international commonwealth of countries which belonged to the old Hispanic and Portuguese empires). The analysis highlights how a complex web of educational policy transfer and borrowing (Steiner- Khamsi & Waldow, 2012) was fashioned by means of concatenate environmental, cognitive and relational mechanisms.

This paper reassesses the importance of the League of Nations loans of the 1920s. These long-term loans were an essential part of the League's strategy to restore the productive basis of countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Whereas the literature is not conclusive as to the final result of this experience, we argue that the League Loans were successful because they accomplished the task for which they were conceived—namely, to allow countries in financial distress to access capital markets. This success rested on the sustained efforts of the League of Nations to gather support from creditor countries' governments and financial intermediaries, as well as its efforts to develop plans for economic reform for borrowing countries. We provide quantitative and qualitative evidence to show that the League provided market access in a difficult and hostile environment, and did so by building its own reputation as an actor that provided a credible commitment to economic and institutional reforms. Through the success of the placement of the initial issues, the League became capable of influencing borrowing costs, even if they continued to be predominately determined by the secondary market and remained high as a result of the risk involved. Much of the confusion in the literature is explained by the fact that the League lacked its own capital, which impeded its ability to act as a lender of last resort once the great depression hit Europe.

While funding of retiree benefits has become a critical challenge to the fiscal sustainability of U.S. local governments, little is known about the consequences of public expenditures on OPEBs and pensions. This study examines whether and when annual contributions to other post-employment benefits (OPEBs) plans affect government borrowing costs. By reducing unfunded liabilities, OPEB contributions may decrease borrowing costs. As two parts of deferred employee compensation, expenditure tradeoffs may exist between OPEBs and pension contributions. Fiscal capacity can further moderate these expenditure tradeoffs. Results show that, as U.S. city and county governments make more contributions to OPEB plans, they pay lower borrowing costs when the pension contribution is low and when fiscal capacity is low. They pay higher borrowing costs when the pension contribution is high and when fiscal capacity is low. These findings suggest that the savings of borrowing costs from OPEB contributions depend on the tradeoffs between OPEB and pension expenditures and the availability of fiscal resources.

"Most state and local retirement plans strive for full funding, at least by actuarial standards. Funding measured at market values fluctuates and often falls short. A common argument for full funding is that pensions are a form of deferred compensation that does not justify a debt. The paper examines public finance, political economy, and financial market issues that bear on optimal funding, broadly and in a series of models.In a model where most taxpayers hold debt and face intermediation costs, returns on pension assets are less than taxpayers' cost of borrowing. Pension funding is costly and hence zero funding is optimal. The model also implies that unfunded pension promises are properly discounted at a rate strictly greater than the government's borrowing rate. If pension funds serve as collateral, funding can be warranted despite the cost. This is shown in a model with legal ambiguity and default risk. Except in special cases, the optimal funding ratio is less than full funding"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site

Most state and local retirement plans strive for full funding, at least by actuarial standards. Funding measured at market values fluctuates and often falls short. A common argument for full funding is that pensions are a form of deferred compensation that does not justify a debt. The paper examines public finance, political economy, and financial market issues that bear on optimal funding, broadly and in a series of models. In a model where most taxpayers hold debt and face intermediation costs, returns on pension assets are less than taxpayers' cost of borrowing. Pension funding is costly and hence zero funding is optimal. The model also implies that unfunded pension promises are properly discounted at a rate strictly greater than the government's borrowing rate. If pension funds serve as collateral, funding can be warranted despite the cost. This is shown in a model with legal ambiguity and default risk. Except in special cases, the optimal funding ratio is less than full funding.

The thesis focuses on public investment policy in Tunisia through borrowing. The objective isto study the question of public debt under its triple economic, institutional and financial naturein the case of a colonial economy. The approach followed is based on a three-partchronological plan that reflects the evolution of Tunisia's public investment strategy. The firstpart, which covers the 1920s, is marked by the issuance of a loan issued by tench. Thepriorities of public investment are to finance the construction of a modern economicinfrastructure. Funding for social investment remains largely insufficient. Private capital inTunisia is experiencing some stagnation.The second part concerns the 1930s coinciding with the great economic depression. Thecolonial authorities decided to simplify the methods of indebtedness, which mainly benefitedthe public institutions of Tunisia. A difficult economic decade which affects the volume ofpublic investment by way of borrowing. Private capital is experiencing a sharp decline, hencethe intervention of public credit institutions.The third part runs from 1945 to 1956; A period marked by the adoption of a new economicstrategy based on planning. Colonial authorities in Tunis choose to diversify sources offunding. Due to its construction, this thesis draws up a diagram of the Tunisian economyunder the French protectorate between 1920 and 1956. ; La thèse s'intéresse à la politique d'investissement public en Tunisie par la voie d'emprunts.L'objectif recherché est l'étude de la question de l'endettement public sous sa triple natureéconomique, institutionnelle et financière dans le cas d'une économie coloniale.La démarche suivie repose sur un plan en trois parties chronologiques mais qui reflètel'évolution de la stratégie d'investissement public en Tunisie. La première partie, qui couvreles années 1920, est marquée par l'émission d'un emprunt émis par tanches. Les priorités del'investissement public consistent à financer la construction d'une infrastructure économiquemoderne. Les ...

The objective of the mission was to assess the debt management strengths and areas in need of reform through the application of the Debt Management Performance Assessment (DeMPA) methodology. The DeMPA mission delivered an evaluation of the legal, institutional and regulatory framework in government debt management.Compared to the previous DeMPA assessment undertaken in 2008, impressive progress is observed in a number of areas. These include the quality and annual update of a medium-term debt management strategy and borrowing plans and procedures for external borrowing. Areas that have digressed or not improved include coordination with fiscal policy and debt sustainability analysis, and cash flow forecasting and cash management.