Throughout the developed world, public and private pension schemes face major challenges that are creating irresistible pressures for reform. Major structural changes in Latin America and in Central and Eastern Europe have led to particularly fierce pressure. Two member states of the European Union - Italy and Sweden - have introduced radical reform of their public pensions systems; controversial pension reforms have been proposed in France and Germany; and the British government has been widely criticized over its pension reforms and its 2002 white paper. This exceptional volume examines the challenges faced by pension schemes in the advanced economies and the reforms that have been introduced to tackle these challenges. A team of international contributors provides an up-to-date, invaluable analysis of different aspects of pension problems, prospects and reforms. The book incorporates cross-national chapters as well as a focus on individual countries including Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Sweden, the UK and the USA.

There are two conflicting trends in Europe: a demographic shift towards population ageing, and a massive decrease in the labour force participation of older workers (aged 50 years and over). This captivating book offers a refined and authoritative understanding of these trends and the two socio-economic concerns of most European welfare states that have been re-enforced as a consequence. These are: the increasing costs for welfare states to finance 'pathways' from employment to official retirement, and the threat of labour market shortages in the near future as a result of both the ageing process and the early exit of older workers. A variety of new policy initiatives can be observed emerging from these changes in many European countries - this book examines the different welfare state arrangements in nine EU countries plus Hungary, Slovenia and Norway. It considers ways of integrating older workers in the labour market along with differing perspectives on the relation between ageing and work.

It is clear that there are two conflicting trends in Europe. Firstly, a demographic shift towards population ageing and secondly, a massive decrease in the labour force participation of older workers (aged 50 years and over). Both trends have re-enforced two socio-economic concerns of most European welfare states. These are the increasing costs for welfare states to finance pathways from employment to official retirement, and the threat of labour market shortages in the near future as a result of both the ageing process and the early exit of older workers. European countries. After years of excluding older workers from the labour market, we can now observe a trend in many countries to re-integrate them again. The combination of two trends, an ageing society and the massive early exit from the labour market of past decades, have also resulted in re-definitions of the social meaning of ageing, older workers, the transition from work to retirement and - on a more general level - the meaning of social citizenship. ways the end of the working life is organized under different welfare state arrangements in ten EU countries plus Hungary, Slovakia and Norway. The authors consider: how changes in work and the life-course affect the relationship between ageing and work; which pathways out of the working life are available and what programmes or initiatives have been developed to change early exit into late exit or to re-integrate older workers in the labour market; and what the individual perspective on the relation between ageing and work is and how different institutions design the life course.