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In response to demographic change many countries in the European
Union have reformed their pension systems. During the last two
decades personal pensions have been introduced in Belgium, Denmark,
France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the UK. This
book is a critical examination of the objectives of personal
pensions in these countries and the use of tax incentives to
encourage individuals to save for their retirement. It also
includes discussion on personal pensions in the United States. The
volume focuses on issues such as risk, administrative expense, and
the role of tax allowances in encouraging personal pension
provision. Based on the evidence from these countries it is
concluded that expectations relating to the take up of personal
pensions have not been met and that EU countries should not rely on
personal pensions to improve income adequacy at the lower end of
the income distribution. Academics and researchers teaching and
studying employee benefits and pension costs - particularly in
countries that have recently reformed their pension systems - will
warmly welcome this book. Government bodies involved in pension
reform and European Commission institutions concerned with the
evolution and problems with pension policy within the EU will also
find this book an informative and invaluable read.
Philosophers have always acknowledged that to embark on a
philosophical discussion of the nature of God is to push philosophy
to its limits, if not to transgress those limits entirely. Even
those who were most confident that philosophy could and should
throw light on the nature of God have usually been comparatively
modest about how bright we should expect the light to be.
In the "The Nature of God" Gerard Hughes breaches the
philosophical construction of God and metaphysics by examining the
argumentative validity that has historically and philosophically
legitimized God as both essential and existent. Surveying the
themes of non-contradiction, necessity, and cause, Hughes tests the
philosophical terms and presuppositions which underlie arguments
alleging the existence and essence of God.
He looks at the work of Aquinas, Ockham, Hume, and Kant, by
interrogating the "characteristics" of God which have been
philosophically central: existence, simplicity, omniscience,
omnipotence, and goodness.
"The Nature of God" is compelling, sophisticated, and clear--an
altogether convincing critique of the subject of God and the
project which constructs God as existential and essential.
Philosophers have always acknowledged that to embark on a
philosophical discussion of the nature of God is to push philosophy
to its limits, if not to transgress those limits entirely. Even
those who were most confident that philosophy could and should
throw light on the nature of God have usually been comparatively
modest about how bright we should expect the light to be.
In the "The Nature of God" Gerard Hughes breaches the
philosophical construction of God and metaphysics by examining the
argumentative validity that has historically and philosophically
legitimized God as both essential and existent. Surveying the
themes of non-contradiction, necessity, and cause, Hughes tests the
philosophical terms and presuppositions which underlie arguments
alleging the existence and essence of God.
He looks at the work of Aquinas, Ockham, Hume, and Kant, by
interrogating the "characteristics" of God which have been
philosophically central: existence, simplicity, omniscience,
omnipotence, and goodness.
"The Nature of God" is compelling, sophisticated, and clear--an
altogether convincing critique of the subject of God and the
project which constructs God as existential and essential.
The ageing, financial and labour market challenges facing the old
age pension systems of the member states of the European Union are
well known. Those who cast doubt on the ability of the present
system of pension provision - at least to the extent that it is
pay-as-you-go financed - to cope with the problems posed by these
challenges are getting more vociferous. Increasingly there are
calls for pay-as-you-go systems to be cut back and for funded
systems to be expanded. This book contests the view that funding is
the answer. It shows how adaptable the largely pay-as-you-go old
age pension systems in the European Union are. Actuaries,
economists, lawyers, political scientists, pension advisers, and
sociologists, from nine European countries and the United States,
consider four main themes: population ageing, competitiveness and
retirement; pension financing and economic growth; adapting pension
systems to meet change; and decision-making processes. They argue
that pay-as-you-go-financed old age pension systems in the European
Union have the ability to successfully adapt to economic and social
change provided they do not take on too many non-insurance-related
risks. Solving the problems of the labour market and controlling
the direction and extent of economic development are beyond the
powers of old age pension systems, regardless of how they are
structured or financed. Separate budgets for separate risks is an
indispensable principle if the complex processes of social
protection are to be successfully managed, monitored, and made
transparent. There can be no single plan for the future development
of old age pension systems which would be universally valid for all
the countries of the European Union. A single solution cannot take
into account the special circumstances obtaining in every nation,
and since respect for the special features of national systems is
the basis of popular acceptance, the way forward is to reform
existing systems in existing contexts.
The ageing, financial and labour market challenges facing the old
age pension systems of the member states of the European Union are
well known. Those who cast doubt on the ability of the present
system of pension provision - at least to the extent that it is
pay-as-you-go financed - to cope with the problems posed by these
challenges are getting more vociferous. Increasingly there are
calls for pay-as-you-go systems to be cut back and for funded
systems to be expanded. This book contests the view that funding is
the answer. It shows how adaptable the largely pay-as-you-go old
age pension systems in the European Union are. Actuaries,
economists, lawyers, political scientists, pension advisers, and
sociologists, from nine European countries and the United States,
consider four main themes: population ageing, competitiveness and
retirement; pension financing and economic growth; adapting pension
systems to meet change; and decision-making processes. They argue
that pay-as-you-go-financed old age pension systems in the European
Union have the ability to successfully adapt to economic and social
change provided they do not take on too many non-insurance-related
risks. Solving the problems of the labour market and controlling
the direction and extent of economic development are beyond the
powers of old age pension systems, regardless of how they are
structured or financed. Separate budgets for separate risks is an
indispensable principle if the complex processes of social
protection are to be successfully managed, monitored, and made
transparent. There can be no single plan for the future development
of old age pension systems which would be universally valid for all
the countries of the European Union. A single solution cannot take
into account the special circumstances obtaining in every nation,
and since respect for the special features of national systems is
the basis of popular acceptance, the way forward is to reform
existing systems in existing contexts.
This book deals with the role of the State in pension provision as
an employer, regulator and provider. Part I deals with problems and
reforms of public sector pension systems in OECD countries. The
countries covered are Denmark, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands,
Norway, and the USA. Part II considers the regulation of
occupational pension schemes in The Netherlands and the United
Kingdom, and whether there is still a role for the State in
providing earnings-related pensions in the United Kingdom. Part III
presents demographic projections for the next half-century, using
Ireland as an example, looks at some of the options which have been
used in Finland, and proposed in the United States, to cope with
population ageing, and examines issues of intergenerational equity
which are posed by these options. All the chapters deal with recent
reforms. The chapters are written by acknowledged experts in their
field who are independent of both the pensions industry and
Government. Hence the chapters provide an informed critical account
of current developments in relation to the reform of occupational
pension schemes in the public sector and of the debate about the
State's role as a regulator of private pension schemes and a
provider of pensions based on the social insurance principal. The
book is important as a source of information about pension schemes
in OECD countries. It shows that there is not a unique model of
occupational pension provision for public sector employees and that
the pension benefits which are provided in different countries are
quite variable. It also shows that public sector occupational
pension systems have changed and are in the process of considerable
further change in a number of OECD countries.
Gerard Hughes's popularity lies in the fact that he always writes
directly for the individual struggling with issues of faith and
life and gets right to the heart of spiritual needs and concerns.
His best-seller GOD OF SURPRISES published nearly 20 years ago has
sold nearly a quarter of a million copies. GOD IN ALL THINGS is a
follow up to that book written for a different world and a
different spiritual climate. This is a guidebook for the inner
journey. It is about recognising God in the ordinary, in the joy
and sadness of things, about knowing that God cannot be separated
from whatever we experience. It is written for people on the
fringes of Christianity, or those who are disillusioned with church
structures and dogmatic theology. Hughes has written this book
because he is concerned at the split between religion and life, as
if religion was something apart and detached from the rest of God's
creation. Apart from being a brilliant spiritual guide this book is
a call to a faith in terminal decline to enlarge its concept of God
and break out of the straitjacket of pious religion.
This international comparison of pension plans lends great
understanding to the transformation taking place in almost every
nation around the world. It covers ten of the twelve countries of
the European Union, as well as the United States and Japan. The
project is interdisciplinary, covering a number of fields, such as
economics, law, actuarial science, sociology, and political
science, that contribute to the analysis of retirement income
systems. The chapters vary in scope - some are comparative, some
are restricted to a single country or to one type of plan in one
country. Despite their diversity, the chapters share a common
awareness of three aspects of pension plans: the importance of
actors' roles in shaping each system, the different economic and
social domains affected by retirement plans, and the
interconnections between social security and supplementary
plans.
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