Netspar thesis awards granted: excellent contributions to Netspar research program

Netspar congratulates the winners of the Netspar thesis awards 2019: Lu Yi, Marianne Tenand and Tias contenders Maarten de Haas, Steven Jonk, Herialt Mens and Semih Eski. The prizes of € 3.000 each were awarded during the annual International Pension Workshop to outstanding master, phd and Tias theses within the Netspar research program.

All nominated papers were assessed on academic quality, relevance to the Netspar research program, originality and execution of the research and accessibility and presentation.

And the winners are…

Lu Yi was rewarded for her master thesis “Quantifying Inter-generational Equity under Different Target Benefit Plan Designs“. This thesis is striking because of its practical relevance in view of the current discussion about pension reform and solidarity between generations, in the Netherlands and in other countries.

Marianne Tenand wrote her dissertation on long-term care policy in the Netherlands and France. Among other things, the research focuses on the price sensitivity of the demand for long-term care. It can be deduced from the estimate, how potential reforms of subsidies will influence the use of long-term care and, thus, government expenditure. The dissertation also documents income-related inequalities in the use of long-term care services in the Netherlands.

Maarten de Haas, Steven Jonk, Herialt Mens and Semih Eski received the prize for their Tias theses titled “Where is the trust ?! Communication key to restoring trust in the pension sector “. This study focuses on the low confidence in pensions and draws important lessons from experiences outside the pension sector, such as the aviation sector or the city of Amsterdam and the construction of the North-South metro line. The findings have been translated into concrete advice for all stakeholders in the pension sector.

Netspar thanks all contenders for their contribution and the jury for their expert assessment.