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The German Retirement Benefit Formula: Drawbacks and Alternatives

Author

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  • Friedrich Breyer
  • Mathias Kifmann
Abstract
In this paper we identify a number of objectionable features of the German retirement benefit formula. We show that groups of insureds with higher than average life expectancy, in particular high-income groups, are subsidized by the rest of the membership because the formula neglects differences in group-specific life expectancy. Furthermore, the current formula leads to undesirable long-run effects if the earnings ceilings is raised, mandatory membership is extended, life expectancy rises or the rate of population growth declines. We present two alternative formulas which take group-specific life expectancy into account. In particular, a return-rate formula which rewards each Euro of contributions with the internal rate of return of the pay-as-you-go pension system proves to be superior to the current formula. Wir diskutieren eine Reihe von Problemen der Rentenformel in der deutschen gesetzlichen Rentenversicherung (GRV). Wir zeigen, dass Bev¨olkerungsgruppen mit ¨uberdurchschnittlicher Lebenserwartung, insbesondere die besser Verdienenden, von den ¨ubrigen Versicherten subventioniert werden, da die Rentenformel Unterschiede in den gruppenspezifischen Lebenserwartungen nicht ber¨ucksichtigt. Außerdem f¨uhrt die Formel zu unerw¨unschten langfristigen Wirkungen, wenn die Beitragsbemessungsgrenze erh¨oht oder die Pflichtmitgliedschaft ausgeweitet wird, wenn die Lebenserwartung steigt oder das Bev¨olkerungswachstum abnimmt. Wir schlagen zwei Alternativen vor, die die gruppenspezifische Lebenserwartung ber¨ucksichtigen. Wir zeigen, dass insbesondere die Interne-Rendite-Formel, die jeden Euro an Beitr¨agen mit der internen Rendite des Umlageverfahrens belohnt, gegen¨uber der gegenw¨artigen Formel ¨uberlegen ist.

Suggested Citation

  • Friedrich Breyer & Mathias Kifmann, 2003. "The German Retirement Benefit Formula: Drawbacks and Alternatives," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 326, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp326
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mathias Kifman & Dirk Schindler, 2001. "Smoothing the Implicit Tax Rate in a Pay-as-you-go Pension System," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 57(3), pages 261-283, May.
    2. ûystein ThÛgersen, 1998. "A note on intergenerational risk sharing and the design of pay-as-you-go pension programs," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 11(3), pages 373-378.
    3. Klaus Beckmann, 2000. "A Note on the Tax Rate implicit in Contributions to Pay-as-you-go Public Pension Systems," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 57(1), pages 63-76, September.
    4. Feldstein, Martin & Liebman, Jeffrey B. (ed.), 2002. "The Distributional Aspects of Social Security and Social Security Reform," National Bureau of Economic Research Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 1, number 9780226241067, September.
    5. Martin Feldstein & Jeffrey B. Liebman, 2002. "The Distributional Aspects of Social Security and Social Security Reform," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number feld02-1.
    6. Marcel Thum & Jakob Von Weisäcker, 2000. "Implizite Einkommensteuer als Messlatte für die aktuellen Rentenreformvorschläge," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 1(4), pages 453-468, November.
    7. Robert Fenge & Silke Uebelmesser & Martin Werding, 2002. "Second-best Properties of Implicit Social Security Taxes: Theory and Empirical Evidence," CESifo Working Paper Series 743, CESifo.
    8. Mathias Kifmann, 2001. "Langfristige Folgen einer Einbeziehung der Selbständigen in die gesetzliche Rentenversicherung," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 251, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    9. Homburg, Stefan & Richter, Wolfram, 1990. "Eine effizienzorientierte Reform der GRV," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 183-191.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Börsch-Supan, Axel & Reil-Held, Anette & Christina Benita Wilke, 2003. "Der Nachhaltigkeitsfaktor und andere Formelmodifikationen zur langfristigen Stabilisierung des Beitragssatzes zur GRV," MEA discussion paper series 03030, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA) at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
    2. Potrafke, Niklas, 2012. "Unemployment, human capital depreciation and pension benefits: an empirical evaluation of German data," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(2), pages 223-241, April.
    3. Börsch-Supan, Axel, 2007. "Rational pension reform," Papers 07-25, Sonderforschungsbreich 504.
    4. Hupfeld, Stefan, 2009. "Rich and healthy--better than poor and sick?: An empirical analysis of income, health, and the duration of the pension benefit spell," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 427-443, March.
    5. Börsch-Supan, Axel, 2007. "Rational Pension Reform," MEA discussion paper series 07132, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA) at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
    6. Knell, Markus, 2010. "How automatic adjustment factors affect the internal rate of return of PAYG pension systems," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(1), pages 1-23, January.
    7. Breyer, Friedrich & Franz, Wolfgang & Homburg, Stefan & Schnabel, Reinhold & Wille, Eberhard, 2004. "Reform der sozialen Sicherung: Kurzfassung," EconStor Books, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, number 92399.
    8. Börsch-Supan, Axel & Reil-Held, Anette & Christina Benita Wilke, 2003. "How to make a Defined Benefit System Sustainable: The Sustainability Factor in the German Benefit Indexation Formula," MEA discussion paper series 03037, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA) at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    pay-as-you-go pension systems; implicit taxation; intra- and intergenerational equity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • H22 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Incidence
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy

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