Essays in pension economics and intergenerational risk sharing

In this thesis, I analyse the design of pension arrangements, paying particular attention to the intergenerational risk sharing aspects of pension design. Chapters 2 and 3 deal with the optimal design of multipillar pension arrangement when taking into account multiple sorts of shocks and distortions. In these chapters, participation in the pension system is taken for granted. Chapter 4 investigates the decision to participate in a pension system, and the impact this has on pension arrangement design when participation is not mandatory. Chapter 5 performs a detailed analysis of some of the options that have been considered in the redesign of the Dutch occupation pension contracts.