Abstract

  
 

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Assessing Welfare Accounts


Stefan Foelster


Confederation of Swedish Enterprise; Swedish Research Institute of Trade (HUI)

Robert Gidehag


Swedish Research Institute of Trade (HUI)

J. Michael Orszag


Towers Watson - Reigate (Surrey Office); Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

Dennis J. Snower


University of Kiel - Institute for World Economics (IfW); Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute for Economic Research)
July 2002

CEPR Discussion Paper No. 3479

Abstract:     
The paper examines the possible effects of introducing a large-scale welfare reform in Sweden, namely, the introduction of comprehensive welfare accounts. Under this policy, individuals make mandatory contributions to accounts, which they can top up with voluntary contributions. In return, individuals' welfare benefits are paid from their accounts. The paper uses a large panel of individual income data to examine how the adoption of universal welfare accounts may affect economic activity. We find that this policy could be designed so as to reduce social insurance expenditure considerably, improve the incentives to work and save, all with relatively small redistributive impact.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 30

Keywords: Welfare reform, welfare accounts, social insurance, taxes, welfare state benefits

JEL Classification: H11, H21, H23, H51, H52, H53, H55

working papers series


Date posted: September 14, 2002  

Suggested Citation

Foelster, Stefan, Gidehag, Robert, Orszag, J. Michael and Snower, Dennis J., Assessing Welfare Accounts (July 2002). CEPR Discussion Paper No. 3479. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=330542

Contact Information

Stefan Foelster (Contact Author)
Confederation of Swedish Enterprise ( email )
Storgatan 19
SE-114 82 Stockholm
Sweden
Swedish Research Institute of Trade (HUI) ( email )
S-103 29 Stockholm
Sweden
+46 8 762 72 88 (Phone)
+46 8 679 76 06 (Fax)
Robert Gidehag
Swedish Research Institute of Trade (HUI) ( email )
S-103 29 Stockholm
Sweden
+46 8 762 7293 (Phone)
J. Michael Orszag
Towers Watson - Reigate (Surrey Office) ( email )
Watson House
London Road
Reigate, Surrey, RH2 9PQ
United Kingdom
+44 1737 241144 (Phone)
+44 1737 241496 (Fax)
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany
Dennis J. Snower
University of Kiel - Institute for World Economics (IfW) ( email )
Duesternbrooker Weg 120
D-24118 Kiel
Germany
+49+431-8814-235 (Phone)
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany
Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)
77 Bastwick Street
London, EC1V 3PZ
United Kingdom
CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute for Economic Research)
Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany
Feedback to SSRN (Beta)


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References:  8

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