https://hdl.handle.net/10419/76683 2026-10-12T00:56:31Z 2026-10-12T00:56:31Z Jarocinska, Elena Ruzik-Sierdzińska, Anna https://hdl.handle.net/10419/298782 2024-06-21T01:00:32Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The distributional effects of the pension system reform in Poland Authors: Jarocinska, Elena; Ruzik-Sierdzińska, Anna Abstract: This paper quantifies the effect of Poland's 1999 pension reform on the inequality of future pension benefits. The reform increases inequality, both in the upper and lower parts of the distribution. The estimates, based on the 2012 Polish Household Budget Survey, show that the Gini coefficient reaches 0.27 once the full effect of the reform has materialized. Had the pre-reform system continued unchanged, the Gini coefficient would not be >0.19. The increased inequality of pension benefits is the result of the system gradually moving from a more redistributive defined benefit pension system to a system in which benefits are strongly linked to earnings. We show to what extent minimum pension benefits mitigate the increase in inequality under different scenarios.

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z Afonso, António Jalles, João Tovar Venter, Zoe https://hdl.handle.net/10419/298781 2024-06-21T01:06:04Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Minimum wage and collective bargaining shocks: A narrative database for advanced economies Authors: Afonso, António; Jalles, João Tovar; Venter, Zoe Abstract: This paper presents and describes a new database of major minimum wage and collective bargaining (CB) shocks covering 26 advanced economies over the period 1970-2020. The main advantage of this dataset is the precise identification of the nature and date of major shocks, which is valuable in many empirical applications. Based on the dataset, we observe that major changes in minimum wages have been more frequent than in CB in the last decades, and the majority of these were implemented during the 1980s and 1990s. In our empirical application, we find that minimum wage policy reductions have a medium-run positive impact on labor productivity and they lead to a fall in the unemployment rate. CB policy liberalizations do not seem to affect either productivity or capital formation, but they have a clear medium-term effect on the labor market. Moreover, CB policy liberalizations are characterized by a greater sensitivity to the prevailing business cycle conditions at the time of the shock (vis-à-vis minimum wage reforms).

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z Carter, Andrew https://hdl.handle.net/10419/298780 2024-06-21T01:22:54Z 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Does the early release of retirement savings prolong labor market participation for workers approaching retirement? Evidence from Australia's "Transition to Retirement Income Streams" program Authors: Carter, Andrew Abstract: Australia's "Transition to Retirement Income Streams" (TRIS) program aims to prolong labor force participation for older workers (aged 55-65 years) by offering early access to a worker's compulsory retirement savings (superannuation). Using a difference-in-differences design, our results suggest a small labor supply response, which increases after the program's initial years. The size of the effects appears to be consistent with the program adoption profile, which was low initially. For this reason, our estimates should be viewed as a lower bound for the true effects. We find that individuals with higher incomes are more likely to adopt TRIS. At least half of the program participants appear to be using strategies to minimize tax, a behavioral response that seems at odds with the program's intent.

2022-01-01T00:00:00Z Desiere, Sam Cockx, Bart https://hdl.handle.net/10419/298773 2024-06-21T01:04:33Z 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: How effective are hiring subsidies in reducing long-term unemployment among prime-aged jobseekers? Evidence from Belgium Authors: Desiere, Sam; Cockx, Bart Abstract: Hiring subsidies are widely used to create (stable) employment for the long-term unemployed. This paper exploits the abolition of a hiring subsidy targeted at long-term unemployed jobseekers older than 45 years of age in Belgium to evaluate its effectiveness in the short and medium run. Based on a triple-difference methodology, the hiring subsidy is shown to increase the job-finding rate by 13% without any evidence of spillover effects. This effect is driven by a positive effect on individuals with at least a bachelor's degree. However, the hiring subsidy mainly creates temporary short-lived employment: eligible jobseekers are not more likely to find employment that lasts at least 12 consecutive months compared with ineligible jobseekers.

2022-01-01T00:00:00Z