Welfare Reform on the Web (October 2002): Pensions - UK

BANKING ON DEATH, OR INVESTING IN LIFE: THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF PENSIONS

R Blackburn

London: Verso, 2002

This book provides a panoramic view of the history and future of pension provision. The author describes fund managers' as having a "notorious short-termism and herd instinct", and argues that their failure to curb the greed and irresponsibility of the corporate elite leads to obscene inequalities and a blighted social landscape.

THE POLITICS OF POPULATION AGEING

D Metz

Political Quarterly, vol. 73, 2002, p. 321-327

Discusses the response of the Labour government in the UK to the impact of population ageing on the pension system, on demand for health and social care and on employment and competitiveness.

RETIREMENT AND THE INCOME OF OLDER PEOPLE: A BRITISH PERSPECTIVE

E Bardasi, S P Jenkins and J A Rigg

Ageing and Society, vol. 22, 2002, p. 131-159

Paper investigates the association between transitions into retirement in Britain and the probability of becoming poor. The study is based on longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey 1991-1999. Also relates differences in poverty entry probabilities among the retired to differences in factors such as a retiree's health, housing tenure, age and sex, education, labour market status and history, household composition and spouse's characteristics.