The welfare state in Europe

European Commission Directorate-General For Economic And Financial Affairs Secretariat-General

Description

Challenges and reforms
Economic policy - Economic and Monetary Union

Informations

• Publié par: EUROPEAN-COMMISSION-DIRECTORATE-GENERAL-FOR-ECONOMIC-AND-FINANCIAL-AFFAIRS-SECRE
• Nombre de lectures: 45
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 76 Mo

Extrait

ISSN 0379-0991
I
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
REPORTS AND STUDIES
THE WELFARE STATE IN EUROPE
Challenges and reforms
No 4 1997 European Economy appears twice a year. It contains important reports
and communications from the Commission to the Council and the
Parliament on the economic situation and developments. As a
complement to European Economy, the series Reports and studies will be
published on problems concerning economic policy.
Three supplements accompany the main periodical:
• Series A —'Economic trends' appears monthly except in August and
describes in a more succinct way financial and economic developments
in the European Union.
• Series Β —'Business and consumer survey results' gives the main
results of opinion surveys of chief executives (orders, stocks,
production outlook, etc.) and of consumers (economic and financial
situation and, etc.) in the Community, and other business cycle
indicators. It also appears monthly, with the exception of August.
• Series C —'Economic reform monitor' provides brief overviews of
economic developments and the progress of reform in the 10 countries
of central Europe with which the EU has negotiated association
agreements, as well as in the two largest transitional economies to have
emerged from the former Soviet Union: Russia and Ukraine. It appears
four times a year.
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Unless otherwise indicated the texts are published under the
responsibility of the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial
Affairs of the European Commission, rue de la Loi 200, Β-1049 Brussels,
to which enquiries other than those related to sales and subscriptions
should be addressed. European Commission
EUROPEAN
ECONOMY
Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs
1997 Number 4 The welfare state in Europe
Challenges and reforms Abbreviations and symbols used
Member States
Β Belgium
DK Denmark
D Germany
WD West Germany
EL Greece
E Spain
F France
IRL Ireland
I Italy
L Luxembourg
NL The Netherlands
Austria A
Portugal Ρ
FIN Finland
Sweden S
UK United Kingdom
EU-9 European Community excluding Greece, Spain and Portugal
EU-10 European Community excluding Spain and Portugal
EU-12-n Community, 12 Member States including West Germany + European, 12r Statesg Germany
EU-15+ n, 15 Member States includingy
Currencies
ECU European currency unit
ATS Austrian schilling
BEF Belgian franc
DEM German mark (Deutschmark)
DKK Danish krone
ESP Spanish peseta
FIM Finnish markka
FRF French franc
GBP Pound sterling
GRD Greek drachma
IEP Irish pound (punt)
ITL Italian lira
LUF Luxembourg franc
NLG Dutch guilder
PTE Portuguese escudo
SEK Swedish krona
CAD Canadian dollar
CHF Swiss franc
JPY Japanese yen
RUR Russian rouble
USD US dollar
IV Other abbreviations
ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific States having signed the Lomé Convention
ECSC European Coal and Steel Community
EDFn Development Fund
EIBn Investment Bank
EMCF European Monetary Cooperation Fund
EMSny System
ERDFn Regional Development Fund
Euratom European Atomic Energy Community
Eurostat Statistical Office of the European Communities
GDP (GNP) Gross domestic (national) product
GFCF Gross fixed capital formation
LDCs Less developed countries
Mio Million
Mrd 1 000 million
NCI New Community Instrument
OCTs Overseas countries and territories
OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
OPECn of Petroleum Exporting Countries
PPS Purchasing power standard
SMEs Small and medium-sized enterprises
toe Tonne of oil equivalent
: Not available Contents
Foreword 1
Part I — Overview 5
Reconciling the welfare state with sound public finances and high employment
Marco Buti, Daniele Franco and Lucio R. Pench 7
Part II — The economic effects of the welfare state: two views 43
The economics of the welfare state: an incomplete debate
Anthony B. Atkinson 45
Welfare state dynamics
Assar Lindbeck 61
Part III — Improving incentives in the welfare state 79
Social insurance based on personal savings accounts: a possible reform
strategy for overburdened welfare states?
Stefan Falster 8
Expanding the welfare system: a proposal for reform
J. Michael Orszag and Dennis J. Snower 10
Part IV — Pension reforms 119
On economic benefits and fiscal requirements of moving from unfunded
to funded pensions
Robert Holzmann 121
Retirement income financing reform — A general issues paper
Gerassimos Thomas 167
Part V — A case study 19
Reform of the social security system in France: challenges and prospects
Nathalie Darnaut3
Part VI — Demography and the welfare state 23
Ageing and fiscal policies in the European Union
Daniele Franco and Teresa Munzi9