Overview

This is a comparative political economy interpretation of policy reform applied to pensions in eight bold reformer countries of Latin America and Eastern Europe. The author shows what a multi-faceted, sometimes elusive undertaking reform is, involving many different actors with often conflicting goals. Considered within the specific policy and economic contexts, the analysis confronts pension system reforms in countries that have been going through important or deep systemic transformation,and that have used pension system reform also to pursue broader and deeper changes and macroeconomic stabilization.

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9781843763246

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'This is a fine comparative political economy interpretation of policy reform applied to pension systems in eight bold reformer countries of Latin America and Eastern Europe. The author shows great skill and sensible caution in showing what a multi-faceted, sometimes elusive undertaking reform is, involving many different actors with often conflicting goals. Considered within the specific policy and economic contexts, the analysis shows remarkable dexterity in confronting pension system reforms in countries that have being going through important or deep systemic transformation, and that have used pension system reform also to pursue broader and deeper changes and macroeconomic stabilisation.' -- Bruno Dallago, University of Trento, Italy 'Privatising Old-Age Security is a fine example of contemporary political economy. Its theoretical perspective is equally sensitive to political and economic factors, and the cases are researched in uncommon depth. Its comparison of Eastern Europe and Latin America is unique in the literature on pension reform but obviously important. It will stand as a landmark example of sophisticated policy analysis.' -- Barry Ames, University of Pittsburgh, US 'This book follows the reform of pension systems in eight countries. All cases were slightly different but, despite substantial differences in starting points and political conditions, there was a surprisingly high degree of similarity in a common trend towards partial privatisation. The author does not discuss whether such reforms could lead to better pension systems. That issue appears to have been of little relevance to their adoption. Instead, she focuses on factors that did influence the political processes in the countries concerned. The result is an important contribution towards an understanding of policy transfer in different institutional settings. It is an excellent example of the power of the comparative approach for examining how far the World Bank and other international financial institutions can persuade governments to accept their thinking.' -- Martin Myant, University of Paisley, UK 'Katharina Mueller opens our eyes to the political and economic forces at work in the privatization of pension schemes, casting light on processes that were previously obscure.' -- Elaine Fultz, International Labour Office, Budapest, Hungary 'There are many studies of pension reform outside the West. This is the first to systematically compare a range of countries in Latin America and transitional Europe, to fully incorporate the influences of international alongside domestic actors, and to develop a sophisticated yet up-to-date political economy analysis of pension reform versus privatisation in the new globalised world.' -- Ian Gough, Wellbeing and Development Group and University of Bath, UK 'Katharina Muller is a distinguished pioneer in the comparative analysis of Latin American and Eastern European structural pension reforms and I have learned and benefited from her work. Her book Privatising Old-Age Security is the culmination of long years of research and field work. It is a pivotal contribution to the literature and should be read by scholars and policy makers interested on pensions, social security, welfare, political economy and structural reforms all over the world.' -- Carmelo Mesa-Lago, University of Pittsburgh, US

Author Information

Katharina Müller, Professor of Social Policy, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Germany

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