Richard Hinz

Evaluating the Financial Performance of Pension Funds

Since the early 1980s, the structure of arrangements to provide retirement income has gradually moved from defined benefit (DB) systems to various types of arrangements in which the provision of pensions is backed by assets, either in individual accounts or in collective schemes. This change has been motivated principally by governments seeking to lessen the fiscal impact of aging populations and to diversify the sources of retirement income. One of the key results is that many pension systems are now in the process of becoming asset backed. This increasingly links retirement incomes to the performance of these assets, resulting in participants being exposed to the uncertainties of investment markets to determine the level of benefits that they will ultimately receive. The potential consequences of this have never been more evident than during the recent global financial crisis. This introductory chapter provides an overview of the issues and motivation for this work and summarizes the studies that were conducted and their main findings. It concludes with policy-related observations that arise from the overall consideration of the research program. The remainder of the volume contains a selection of the studies undertaken through the partnership that focus on developing approaches to evaluate performance of pension funds and concludes with observations and commentary from four noted experts in the field on the issues raised by this work and the interpretation of the findings.

China's Pension System : A Vision

China is at a critical juncture in its economic transition. A comprehensive reform of its pension and social security systems is an essential element of a strategy aimed toward achieving a harmonious society and sustainable development. Among policy makers, a widely held view is that the approach to pension provision and reform efforts piloted over the last 10-15 years is insufficient to enable Chinas economy and population to realize its development objectives in the years ahead. This volume suggests a national pension system that no longer distinguishes along urban and rural locational or hukou lines yet takes account of the diverse nature of employment relations and capacity of individuals to make contributions. This volume is organized as follows: the main text outlines this vision, focusing on summarizing the key features of a proposed long-term pension system. It first examines key trends motivating the need for reform then outlines the proposed three-pillar design and the rationale behind the design choices. It then moves on to examine financing options. The text continues by discussing institutional reform issues, and the final section concludes. The six appendixes provide additional analytical detail supporting the findings in the main text. The pension system design can play an important role in supporting or constraining such economic and demographic transitions: 1) fragmentation and lack of portability of rights hinder labor market efficiency and contribute to coverage gaps; 2) multiple schemes for salaried workers, civil servants, and, in some areas, migrants similarly impact labor markets; 3) legacy costs that are largely financed through current pension contributions weaken incentives for compliance and accurate wage reporting; 4) very limited risk pooling and interurban resource transfers limit the insurance function of the urban pension system and create spatial disparities in old-age income protection; 5) low retirement ages affect incentives and benefits and undermine fiscal sustainability; and 6) relatively low returns on individual accounts result in replacement rates significantly less than anticipated while at the macro level, are likely to inhibit wider efforts to stimulate higher domestic consumption.

Risk-Based Supervision of Pension Funds: A Review of International Experience and Preliminary Assessment of the First Outcomes

This paper provides a review of the design and experience of risk-based pension fund supervision in several countries that have been leaders in the development of these methods. The utilization of risk-based methods originates primarily in the supervision of banks. In recent years it has increasingly been extended to other types of financial intermediaries including pension funds and insurers. The trend toward risk-based supervision of pensions is closely associated with movement toward the integration of pension supervision with that of banking and other financial services into a single national authority. Although similar in concept to the techniques developed in banking, the application to pension funds has required modifications, particularly for defined contribution funds that transfer investment risk to fund members. The countries examined provide a range of experiences that illustrate both the diversity of pension systems and approaches to risk-based supervision, but also a commonality of the focus on sound risk management and effective supervisory outcomes. The paper provides a description of pension supervision in Australia, Denmark, Mexico and the Netherlands, and an initial evaluation of the results achieved in relation to the underlying objectives.

Pension Supervision: Understanding International Practice and Country Context

This paper proposes an approach to classifying and measuring the primary elements of private pension supervision, and undertakes an evaluation using a representative set of countries. The analysis considers how supervision methods and style relate to the basic design of pension systems, and the broader environment in which they operate. Supervisory systems are shown to include six main elements, with considerable variation among systems in the scope, and intensity of activities within each element. The analysis concludes that there are discernible relationships between supervisory methods, and the context in which they are applied. The level of economic development, depth of capital markets, underlying legal framework presence of mandates, and number of funds supervised are found to be associated with depth, and intensity of supervision activities. These findings support the principle that the organization, and management of private pension supervision is significantly derived from the context, and environment in which these systems operate.

Early Lessons from Country Experience with Matching Contribution Schemes

Matching defined contribution schemes are gaining popularity in both rich and poor countries as a promising means to reduce gaps in the participation in formal pension systems.