Britain's Pensions Crisis

History and Policy

Edited by Hugh Pemberton, Pat Thane, and Noel Whiteside

OUP/British Academy

British Academy Occasional Papers

One of the most important and pressing policy issues confronting Britain today

Britain's Pensions Crisis

History and Policy

Edited by Hugh Pemberton, Pat Thane, and Noel Whiteside

OUP/British Academy

British Academy Occasional Papers

Description

British pensions are in crisis. Yet in all the discussion of what exactly the crisis consists of, and how it might be addressed, attention to the history of how the crisis has come about is surprisingly lacking. History has much to tell us about how pensions have developed in Britain, how that development has shaped the crisis that we now face, and how decisions taken in the past constrain our options for the future.

In this volume, leading experts on the past and present of pensions in Britain debate the present crisis, and the lessons of history for those seeking to craft solutions to it that are both effective and enduring. The volume also contains a number of chapters which draw important lessons from the experience of other European and North American countries over the past few decades.

Containing reactions to the second report of the Pensions Commission and the government's response to it, Britain's Pensions Crisis will be essential reading for all those interested in the politics and economics of this key area of social policy.

Britain's Pensions Crisis

History and Policy

Edited by Hugh Pemberton, Pat Thane, and Noel Whiteside

OUP/British Academy

British Academy Occasional Papers

Introduction, Hugh Pemberton, Pat Thane & Noel Whiteside
Beveridge and pensions, Jose Harris
Politics and pensions in postwar Britain, Hugh Pemberton
History and the present crisis, Howard Glennerster
The 'scandal' of women's pensions, Pat Thane
The sidelining of gender, Jay Ginn
Gender and the present crisis, Baroness Hollis
Financing our futures, Paul Johnson
The economics of the crisis, John Hills
The UK Occupational Pension System in Crisis, Gordon Clark
Occupational pension schemes in Britain and Europe, Noel Whiteside
Occupational pension schemes in Britain and the USA, Steven A. Sass
Occupational pension schemes and the present crisis, Frank Field
Pension reforms in Southern Europe, Maurizio Ferrara
Pension reforms in Central and Eastern Europe, Dr Katherina Müller
Pension reform in Northern Europe, Karl Hinrichs
Epilogue, Hugh Pemberton, Pat Thane & Noel Whiteside

Britain's Pensions Crisis

History and Policy

Edited by Hugh Pemberton, Pat Thane, and Noel Whiteside

OUP/British Academy

British Academy Occasional Papers

Author Information

Edited by Hugh Pemberton, Lecturer in Modern British History, University of Bristol, Pat Thane, Leverhulme Professor of Contemporary British History, Centre for Contemporary British History at the Institute for Historical Research, University of London, and Noel Whiteside, Zurich Financial Services Fellow, University of Warwick

Contributors:

Professor Gordon Clark, University of Oxford; Professor Maurizio Ferrara, State University of Milan; Frank Field MP, Chairman, Pensions Reform Group; Professor Jay Ginn, University of Surrey; Professor Howard Glennerster, LSE, Fellow of the British Academy; Professor Jose Harris, University of Oxford, Fellow of the British Academy; Professor John Hills, Pensions Commission /LSE; Professor Dr. Karl Hinrichs, University of Bremen; Baroness Hollis, DWP Parliamentary Under-secretary 2001-2005; Professor Paul Johnson, LSE; Dr Katherina Müller, German Development Institute, Bonn, Germany; Dr Hugh Pemberton, University of Bristol; Dr Steven A. Sass, Centre for Retirement Research, Boston College, USA; Professor Pat Thane, University of London; Professor Noel Whiteside, University of Warwick

Britain's Pensions Crisis

History and Policy

Edited by Hugh Pemberton, Pat Thane, and Noel Whiteside

OUP/British Academy

British Academy Occasional Papers

Reviews and Awards

"[An] important contribution to policy debate as well as social history." - 20th Century British History

"a very informative book... timely" - Prem Sikka, Tribune

"Being a paperback makes the book accessible and portable, and helps to make it appear very much what it is: a reader on the history of our pensions system." - Padraig Floyd, Pensions Management

"an important contribution to policy debate as well as social history." - Robin Blackburn, 20th Century British History