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Financial incentives and flexible retirement: Quasi-experimental evidence from the Finnish pension system pmassetti Center for Open Science (2025). In 2017, Finland introduced a partial old-age pension scheme, allowing individuals to claim either 25 or 50 percent of their old-age pension after turning 61, irrespective of their employment status. Claiming a partial pension before the statutory retirement age results in a permanent reduction of the full old-age pension. Due to the rapid rise in consumer prices in 2022, individuals who claimed their pension before the end of 2022 benefited from a three-percentage points higher index adjustment in 2023, resulting in a permanently higher pension compared to those who claimed their pension in early 2023. In this study, we assess the causal effect of the financial incentive arising from the exceptional index adjustment on pension take-up using regression discontinuity design and full population register data. We also analyse differences in responses by socioeconomic status and gender. The extraordinary pension index adjustment increased the probability of claiming the partial old-age pension in the first month after becoming eligible for it by around 8 percentage points, or around 80 per cent. The effect is explained by individuals claiming a pension sooner than they would have in the absence of the exceptional index adjustment. Individuals with a higher pension accrual, higher earnings, or with upper tertiary education were more likely than others to respond to the index adjustment. Pensions finland
Are Belgian pensions really under threat? pmassetti vrt.be (13.01.2025) Unions are today taking action in defence of pension rights. The five parties negotiating a new federal government want to save cash on pensions. A major reform is inevitable, says formateur Bart De Wever (Flemish nationalist/N-VA). Teachers and NMBS staff fear they will have to work longer ultimately for lower pensions. What are the measures on the table? Pensions belgium
Publication: The Impact of Social Safety Nets on Economic, Social, and Political Outcomes in Fragile, Conflict, and Violent Contexts: A Review of Evidence pmassetti worldbank.org (13.01.2025) Social safety nets (SSNs) have emerged as a primary policy instrument in Fragile, Conflict, and Violence (FCV). Safety nets encompass a variety of non-contributory programs, primarily cash and in-kind transfers, accompanying measures, labor-intensive public works (LIPWs), and economic inclusion interventions aimed to provide regular, targeted, and predictable support to the poorest and most vulnerable households. SSNs can be designed and implemented as adaptive and flexible tools to respond to shocks and crises, expanding to reach more individuals or increasing support for current beneficiaries. In conflict settings, often marked by emergencies and limited government response capacity, safety nets can play a critical role in addressing urgent needs and preserving human capital and productive assets in the long term. Despite their increased use in fragile and conflict countries, the impacts of SSNs in such contexts are still not fully understood. This study, part of a broader analytical and research agenda supported by the World Bank's Sahel Adaptive Social Protection Program, reviews and synthesizes available literature to better understand the impacts of SSNs on economic, social, and political outcomes in FCV settings. It explores the effects of SSN programs on household well-being, social cohesion and conflict or shaping attitudes toward state institutions, among others. The findings aim to inform the operational design and implementation of SSNs to promote positive outcomes and avoid exacerbating conflict risks. Shocks & extreme events
Publication: Pakistan Health Financing System Assessment: Providing an Empirical Foundation for National and Sub-National Health Financing Strategy Dialogues - Policy Brief pmassetti worldbank.org (13.01.2025) Accelerated progress towards and achievement of universal health coverage (UHC) has become a central goal of the Government of Pakistan’s (GoP) policy agenda in health in recent years. Both at the center and in the provinces, Pakistan’s domestic governments have now consistently reiterated, through the National Health Vision 2016–2025 and other essential agenda setting documents, their joint commitments to making UHC and primary care access a priority across the country. The federal and provincial governments have initiated critical UHC and primary health care (PHC) related interventions. First, Pakistan has become an early adopter of the Disease Control Priority 3 (DCP3) framework and, in collaboration with the DCP3 Secretariat and the World Health Organization (WHO), has begun implementing for the first time a prioritized Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS). Another major program led by the federal government and now adopted by the provincial governments is the social health protection initiative, the Sehat Sahulat Program (SSP). The program, a tax-financed scheme, provides cash-free coverage to inpatient hospital services at empaneled public and private hospitals for eligible low-income populations (households earning less than US2 dollar per day). The EPHS and the public health insurance scheme are two promising developments that together hold the potential to expand health coverage, grow existing health finance resource pools, and improve efficiency of public health expenditures. Each would in turn help achieve broader objectives in a health financing system that has to date produced concerningly lagging health and human development outcomes. However, faced with resource needs significantly higher than current health expenditures, and a particularly turbulent near-term macro-fiscal environment, the GoP’s ability to sustainably fund crucial UHC priorities has become decidedly uncertain. Health pakistan
Nigeria: PenCom targets 20 million contributors under micro-pension scheme pmassetti thesun.ng (23.12.2024) The National Pension Commission (PenCom) is targeting inclusion of over 20 million contributors in its Micro Pension Scheme as part of its plans to overhaul and expand the commission’s landscape. The commission said the overhauling of the Micro Pension Plan (MPP) was part of a broader strategy to increase financial inclusion and extend pension coverage to more Nigerians, particularly in the informal sector. Pensions nigeria
Global Trends in Government Innovation 2024 pmassetti oecd.org (19.12.2024) Governments worldwide are transforming public services through innovative approaches that place people at the center of design and delivery. This report analyses nearly 800 case studies from 83 countries and identifies five critical trends in government innovation that are reshaping public services. First, governments are working with users and stakeholders to co-design solutions and anticipate future needs to create flexible, responsive, resilient and sustainable public services. Second, governments are investing in scalable digital infrastructure, experimenting with emergent technologies (such as automation, AI and modular code), and expanding innovative and digital skills to make public services more efficient. Third, governments are making public services more personalised and proactive to better meet people's needs and expectations and reduce psychological costs and administrative frictions, ensuring they are more accessible, inclusive and empowering, especially for persons and groups in vulnerable and disadvantaged circumstances. Fourth, governments are drawing on traditional and non-traditional data sources to guide public service design and execution. They are also increasingly using experimentation to navigate highly complex and unpredictable environments. Finally, governments are reframing public services as opportunities and channels for citizens to exercise their civic engagement and hold governments accountable for upholding democratic values such as openness and inclusion. Innovation capacity
UK: Who chooses to work, and who is forced to, after retirement? pmassetti theconversation.com (20.12.2024) The state pension age in the UK is currently 66. Yet 9.5% of people aged 66 and older (1.12 million people) were still working, according to the most recent data from the UK’s Annual Population Survey (July 2023 to June 2024). This figure has been rising over the past decade, increasing from 8.70% (880,000 people) in July 2013 to June 2014. We think of retirement as a time to pursue hobbies, relax and enjoy the fruits of our labour. So why then, are so many people still working beyond retirement age, and who are they? This is what we sought to find out in a recent study. We investigated who is more likely to “choose to work” and who is “forced to work”, using data from the UK’s annual population survey. Pensions united kingdom
Egypt’s experience bridging cash transfers and an economic inclusion program for sustainable social protection pmassetti IFPRI (18.12.2024) In 186 countries worldwide, cash transfer programs are the cornerstone of social protection, outnumbering social security or pension plans. These offer critical financial lifelines to vulnerable households, aiming to alleviate poverty by providing steady cash support. However, these programs can become long-term fiscal burdens for governments due to limited turnover of recipients, particularly when the programs do not lead to lasting reductions in poverty. To address this problem, economic inclusion programs (including so-called “poverty graduation” programs) are increasingly being introduced as complementary or alternative approaches. Economic inclusion programs aim to provide a cohesive set of mutually reinforcing interventions to help individuals sustainably move out of poverty. Governments are also increasingly interested in seeing if these programs can “graduate” households from relying on cash transfers. Economic inclusion programs typically provide one-time asset transfers, financial inclusion interventions, skills training, and consumption support for a set period. Evidence suggests that they can be more effective than cash alone in empowering recipients to achieve sustainable income gains, potentially offering a viable path toward financial independence (Banerjee et al. 2015, Bandiera et al. 2017). Building on such findings, economic inclusion programs have gained traction, being piloted or implemented in more than 88 countries (Arévalo-Sánchez et al. 2024), with governments actively exploring ways to incorporate these strategies into their existing social protection frameworks. Egypt’s experience is a case in point. The country’s Takaful cash transfer program has been a vital source of support for millions, but fiscal space is too limited for cash transfers to serve as a solution to poverty (Breisinger, et al. 2023). The hope is that graduating current cash transfer beneficiaries will free up public resources to reach other impoverished households. To garner support for the new option, the government provided cash transfer recipient households with a choice: Would you rather remain eligible for the monthly cash transfer or opt into the economic inclusion program? Cash transfers
Coordinating social security benefits and their effectiveness in protecting the rights of individual mobility pmassetti Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (PGIHS) University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (10.12.2024) Globalization has transformed the global landscape, fostering economic, cultural, and social integration. One critical area affected by globalization is the provision of social security benefits for individuals who move across borders. Ensuring the portability and coordination of social security benefits has become essential in a world where mobility is increasingly common, especially for countries like Sri Lanka with significant migrant worker populations. The primary objective of this study is to analyze how globalization has influenced cross-border social security systems, with a specific focus on Sri Lanka. It aims to identify the mechanisms through which countries, including Sri Lanka, coordinate social security benefits and to assess the effectiveness of these mechanisms in protecting the rights of mobile individuals. Collaborating with government agencies responsible for social security and labor, as well as NGOs focused on workers' rights and migration, will enhance the depth and relevance of the research. This research adopts a secondary-based qualitative approach, relying on existing literature, policy documents, and case studies. The study involves a comprehensive review of bilateral and multilateral social security agreements, reports on Sri Lanka's social security policies, and data from international organizations. The study finds that globalization has prompted the development of various bilateral and multilateral agreements to ensure the portability of social security benefits. In Sri Lanka, initiatives to protect migrant workers' social security rights have been established, but challenges persist. Key challenges include the lack of awareness among migrant workers about their rights and benefits, and gaps in the coordination of social security systems between countries, which can lead to delays and disputes in benefit claims. Consequently, policymakers must continue to innovate and adapt social security systems to the evolving demands of globalization, ensuring that social protection keeps pace with increasing global mobility. Portability and transferability, Migration sri lanka
Egypt’s experience bridging cash transfers and an economic inclusion program for sustainable social protection pmassetti IFPRI (18.12.2024) Egypt’s experience is a case in point. The country’s Takaful cash transfer program has been a vital source of support for millions, but fiscal space is too limited for cash transfers to serve as a solution to poverty (Breisinger, et al. 2023). The hope is that graduating current cash transfer beneficiaries will free up public resources to reach other impoverished households. To garner support for the new option, the government provided cash transfer recipient households with a choice: Would you rather remain eligible for the monthly cash transfer or opt into the economic inclusion program? In this post, we share evidence from a household survey during the period of recruitment for the economic inclusion program to capture respondent beliefs about their decision. We show that beliefs about the duration of consumption support and the income-earning potential of the program can influence household preferences for the new program. As the number of these programs continues to grow worldwide, such results highlight the importance of designing and communicating compelling economic incentives to encourage take-up of social protection programs by those expected to benefit. Extension of coverage, Cash transfers egypt
Publication: Gray Matters: How Do the World Bank’s Engagements In Social Protection & Jobs Strengthen Long-Term Care? - Rethink Social Protection and Jobs in an Actively Aging World pmassetti worldbank.org (18.12.2024) This brief focuses on long-term care (LTC) for older persons, emphasizing the areas where social protection and jobs are key to building and strengthening this agenda.2While LTC is sometimes perceived as part of the health agenda, social protection programs and policies are crucial for providing and financing social care-related services. Taking a multisectoral approach to LTC can ensure an integrated range of social and health care options which would be the foundation for efficient and cost-effective provision of LTC for all older adults. Long-term care
Policy Brief: Advancing Digital Social Protection in Africa through Inclusion and Data Protection pmassetti African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (Dec 2024) This brief, Advancing Digital Social Protection in Africa through Inclusion and Data Protection, explores strategies to develop inclusive and secure digital social protection (DSP) systems across Africa. DSP systems, which leverage digital tools to deliver social services, present transformative opportunities to address the needs of marginalized populations, including women, informal workers, youth, and migrants. However, barriers such as the digital divide, limited literacy, and inadequate data protection threaten their inclusivity and effectiveness. The brief underscores the critical role of trade unions in advocating for gender-sensitive, equitable DSP policies and robust data protection measures aligned with international standards. It highlights examples from Kenya and Ghana to examine opportunities and challenges in implementing DSP systems. Recommendations include investing in digital infrastructure, fostering digital literacy, enforcing robust data protection frameworks, and ensuring multi-stakeholder collaboration. These measures aim to create DSP systems that uphold the rights, dignity, and inclusion of all, leaving no one behind in Africa’s digital transformation. Information and communication technology Africa
Can Flexible Jobs Drive the Future of Work? Lessons from MENA pmassetti The evolving nature of work is prompting a global shift towards more adaptable and flexible employment practices. However, NSEs face obstacles due to their unique nature of fluctuating income, instability, and administrative barriers that complicate their inclusion in labor and social protection systems. Let’s take a look at recent steps taken by countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, showcasing a proactive response to these emerging needs and setting an example that may inspire similar actions elsewhere. This year, Saudi Arabia and Jordan announced regulatory reforms, designed with support from the World Bank, that formalize flexible work arrangements while ensuring worker protection through social insurance coverage. digital platforms Extension of coverage, Platform workers arabic countries
Access for domestic workers to labour and social protection pmassetti europa.eu (2024) Increasing attention has recently been paid to the situation of domestic workers at European Union (EU) level. The European Parliament, social partners and stakeholders have called on the European Commission to improve the working conditions and social protection of domestic workers within the limits of its Treaty competence. Domestic workers provide support services to households, including care (e.g. childcare or long-term care (LTC) for older people and for people with disabilities) and non-care activities (e.g. cleaning or cooking). At EU level, the concept of “domestic workers” has, for a decade, often been approached through the wider concept of “personal and household services (PHS) workers”. Domestic workers are often hired in non-standard forms of employment (including part-time, temporary employment and platform work), with frequently more limited access to social and labour protection. In some countries, self-employment is also widespread in the sector. In addition, undeclared work is an overarching issue among domestic workers, which undermines the social and labour protection rights of the workers concerned. Domestic work involves professions that are often listed as subject to shortages; for example, LTC workers. Domestic workers often acquire skills through their hands-on tasks, but it remains a challenge to have these skills validated and certified to facilitate access to more qualified work. Policy analysis european union
Rethinking pension reform: A new CEPR eBook pmassetti (14.11.2024) Population ageing is exerting unprecedented fiscal pressure on social security systems around the world. In response, many governments are implementing or planning pension reforms, often aimed at encouraging later retirement. Recent years have seen a surge in empirical research on retirement behavior and the impact of pension reforms. This column presents a new eBook that reviews insights from the newest advances in research on retirement policy and provides fresh perspectives on how to (re)think pension reforms. Pensions
Digital platforms in the Italian domestic care sector: The emergence of an unprecedented corporate logic and its implications for workers' social protection - PAIS - 2024 - International Labour Review - Wiley Online Library pmassetti International Labour Review (Sept 2024) This article explores the heterogeneity of care platforms using the case studies of two platforms in the Italian domestic work sector: one that carries out matching between supply and demand (Helpling), reinforcing informality in the sector, and one that acts as an employer (Batmaid). The analysis shows that digital platforms can introduce a corporate logic into a sector where it was previously absent. This creates a potential for company-level bargaining for both platforms and related models – something that trade unions have, so far, not considered owing to a lack of recognition of the needs of platform domestic workers. digital platforms Platform workers
Strong action is needed to make retirement systems more inclusive, resilient and innovative | OECD pmassetti oecd.org (02.12.2024) The design and governance of asset-backed pensions should be enhanced to foster more inclusive and resilient systems, secure better outcomes for individuals and contribute to sustainable economic growth and innovation, according to new analysis from the OECD. Pension assets in OECD countries grew by 10% in 2023, reaching over USD 56 trillion, more than triple the level seen two decades ago. Total assets hit USD 63 trillion after adding pension reserve funds held by governments. The 2023 total is 5% below the level seen in 2021, according to Pension Markets in Focus 2024. Growth in 2023 resulted from positive returns in equity markets and positive cashflows from contributions exceeding benefit payments. The new report analyses this growth and its underlying drivers, comparing it with long-term trends.  Against the backdrop of ageing populations and other economic challenges, a second OECD report, Pensions Outlook 2024, calls for new action to address coverage gaps. The report highlights the importance of ensuring individuals have access to appropriate retirement income and of innovative approaches, such as options for pooling risks and leveraging home equity. Pensions
Moroccan Government Adopts Decree to Enhance Mandatory Health Insurance Coverage pmassetti the Moroccan government council, chaired by Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, adopted a key draft decree aimed at expanding the scope of the country's mandatory basic health insurance (AMO) system.  The decree, which complements existing legislation, focuses on individuals capable of paying health insurance contributions but not engaged in any paid or unpaid work
How are countries responding to the ageing workforce challenge? pmassetti jdsupra.com (25.11.2024) Pension systems, designed when populations were younger and life expectancy shorter, are now under immense pressure. To mitigate the impact of an ageing population, governments around the world are starting to implement a raft of measures. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, nations are amending pension laws and updating regulations to adapt to the changing demographics. Let’s delve into the details together to examine how countries are reacting to demographic shifts across countires. Pensions
Affordability of long-term care systems in times of rapid population ageing pmassetti CEPR (29.11.2024) Rapid population ageing is increasing the pressure on public finances to provide adequate support for long-term care recipients. This column compares the impact of diverse social protection measures across 32 OECD and EU countries on poverty rates and out-of-pocket expenses among older adults with care needs. The analysis reveals substantial room for improvement and reforms, with existing systems often unaffordable and badly targeted. The promotion of healthy ageing, proactive use of new technologies to elevate care sector productivity, revision of eligibility rules to enable more targeted and inclusive coverage, diversification of funding sources, and optimisation of income-testing are all viable policy options. Long-term care
Tunisians share how their life changed through the AMEN Program pmassetti worldbank.org (14.11.2024) The Amen Program is a social assistance initiative in Tunisia that targets the country's most vulnerable citizens with cash transfers, medical services, and economic empowerment opportunities. As of December 2023, the program reached over 333,000 poor households (more than 10% of the population) with monthly cash transfers and more than 620,000 low-income households with free and subsidized healthcare services. Three Tunisians share their positive experience with AMEN, where 54% of cash transfer beneficiaries are women-headed households and more than 156,000 children under age 5 receive allowances. Social assistance tunisia
Objective-Oriented Health Systems Reform: Implications for Moving Towards Universal Health Coverage pmassetti Health Systems & Reform Volume 10, Issue 3 (2024) . universal health coverage Health
Megatrends and the Future of Social Protection pmassetti oecd (22.11.2024) Ageing populations, changing labour markets, and climate change are affecting economies and societies across OECD countries. What challenges do these “megatrends” pose for social protection systems? What are the implications of these trends for the coverage, the effectiveness, and – critically – the funding of social protection today and tomorrow? With an eye towards informing future reforms, this report presents a broad stocktaking of population ageing, changing patterns of labour supply, new and emerging employment forms, changes in household composition and unpaid work, the effects of new technologies on employment and wages, and the effects of climate change and the net zero transition on social protection systems in OECD countries.
Gig Economy Platforms Urge For Collaborative Dialogue Before Tabling Of Gig Worker Bill | TRP pmassetti Malaysia’s gig economy, we acknowledge the Government’s efforts in proposing a Gig Worker Bill.
Ageing Policies Database pmassetti UNECE launched a searchable database on Ageing Policies Database | Browse all policies to search by country, theme, or instrument. This database presents policy measures that countries across Europe, North America, and Central Asia have been developing to improve the lives of older people, harness the opportunities of longevity and address the challenges of population ageing. Policy interventions to meet the needs of older persons and bring societal development into harmony with demographic change span across many policy areas including education, health, labour and social affairs. They address challenges such as ageism and take steps towards creating enabling environments for active and healthy ageing. Old-age pensions