Research & Analysis About United States
International Update
A monthly publication covering recent developments in foreign private and public pensions, social security, and retirement.
Social Security Programs Throughout the World
A biannual publication highlighting the principal features of social security programs in more than 170 countries. Published in collaboration with the International Social Security Association, one of four regional volumes was issued every six months.
The Americas: 2019 · 2017 · 2015 · 2013 · 2011 · 2009 · 2007 · 2005 · 2003
Public Pension Statements in Selected Countries: A Comparison
Public pension statements are one way for countries to provide workers with information about their retirement benefits. This article compares public pension statements in Canada, Sweden, and the United States. The comparison includes brief descriptions of the public pension programs in each country, details on the origins and content of the public pension statements, and an assessment of the information provided in the three countries' respective public pension statements.
"Fast-Track" Strategies in Long-Term Public Disability Programs Around the World
This article examines fast-track procedures in long-term public disability programs in the United States and several other countries. Such procedures share a common goal of accelerating applicants—generally for those with severe disabilities, blindness, or facing terminal illness—through the disability determination process.
Social Security Reform in Central and Eastern Europe: Variations on a Latin American Theme
The Latin American model of social security reform with individual accounts has been adopted by a number of Central and Eastern European countries. That alternative to a pay-as-you-go system is sometimes advocated as a desirable model for solving problems in developed systems such as that of the United States. This article describes the Central and Eastern European systems and compares them with the Latin American systems.
Improving Return-to-Work Strategies in the United States Disability Programs, with Analysis of Program Practices in Germany and Sweden
This article examines suggestions by the General Accounting Office (GAO) to improve the rate of rehabilitation of workers on the disability rolls. It examines GAO's suggestions within the context of research by experts on return-to-work practices in Germany, Sweden, and the United States. It also discusses lessons learned from the European experiences and current and past return-to-work initiatives used in the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs.
Poverty Among Single Elderly Women Under Different Systems of Old-Age Security: A Comparative Review
This study takes stock of available comparative research on the economic status of elderly single women in six industrialized countries: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. A systematic comparison of income has become easier due to such standardized data bases as the Luxembourg Income Study.
But an explanation for different poverty rates among older women who are on their own requires a further, differentiated assessment of the countries' retirement benefit structures. This article attempts such a review. It makes use of a variety of single-country sources and takes into account the institutional heterogeneity of old-age security systems. The study concludes with a view of the effectiveness of different old-age security systems in preventing poverty among older single women.