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Contribution Details

Type Journal Article
Scope Discipline-based scholarship
Title Social security and risk sharing
Organization Unit
Authors
  • Piero Gottardi
  • Felix Kübler
Item Subtype Original Work
Refereed Yes
Status Published in final form
Language
  • English
Journal Title Journal of Economic Theory
Publisher Elsevier
Geographical Reach international
ISSN 0022-0531
Volume 146
Number 3
Page Range 1078 - 1106
Date 2011
Abstract Text In this paper we identify conditions under which the introduction of a pay-as-you-go social security system is ex-ante Pareto-improving in a stochastic overlapping generations economy with capital accumulation and land. We argue that these conditions are consistent with realistic specifications of the parameters of the economy. In our model, financial markets are complete and competitive equilibria are interim Pareto efficient. Therefore, a welfare improvement can only be obtained if agents' welfare is evaluated ex ante, and arises from an improvement in intergenerational risk sharing. We examine the various effects of social security, on the prices of long-lived assets and the stock of capital, and hence on output, wages and risky rates of returns, can be clearly identified. In addition, we analyze the optimal size of a given social security system as well as its optimal reform.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1016/j.jet.2010.10.014
Other Identification Number merlin-id:422
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