European Pensions & Global Finance

This book is about the demographic and funding crises that threaten continental European systems of pension and retirement income. The author argues that state-sponsored social security will not deliver promised retirement incomes for the baby-boom generation; European monetary union and the imperatives of global finance has made such promises untenable thereby undercutting nation-state social solidarity. Globalization has set many challenges for European countries, not least of which is providing pension security for their citizens. At the same time, global finance has opened-up options for corporations and individuals seeking alternatives to the past; but exercising those opportunities will come at a high cost for European notions of social justice. Drawing upon original research, the author considers (1) the dimensions of the pending European retirement income funding crisis, noting the economic and political forces involved in debates over possible solutions; (2) Current country-specific models of pensions provision, making the connection between social security and supplementary pensions; (3) The allocation of risks between individuals, markets, and institutions emphasizing the tensions between social solidarity and the market in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom; (4) And finally, the prospects for a pan-European approach to retirement income provision.