Projects (83)
Netspar endows several research projects at any given time, ranging from € 10,000 to € 500,000. Below you will find more information about ongoing and completed projects. Researchers can submit proposals within the various calls for short-term and long-term research projects that Netspar expands during the year. For more information, please contact policy advisor Silvie van Halder via 013 – 466 37 93 or via email.
Comparative Research
Household portfolio decision in low interest rate environments
The objective of this project is to compare how individuals make portfolio decisions in a low interest rate environment in the Netherlands and Norway. The units of analysis are individuals in the respective countries. We use two administrative datasets, which cover the complete population from 2005-2018 for the Netherlands, and from 1993-2017 for Norway. During this period, both countries experienced large fluctuations in short-term…
Comparative Research
The effects of an ageing workforce on labour demand and workers’ careers: Evidence from linked employer-employee data and pension reforms in the Netherlands and other countries
In response to population ageing and steady increases in life expectancy, governments in many developed countries are raising eligibility ages for retirement pensions. By doing so, they aim to reduce national pension expenditures and encourage older workers to delay retirement. While the literature shows that these policies generally have the desired effects (OECD 2012, Atav et al. 2019, Lindeboom and Montizaan forth.), there are…
Comparative Research
Retirement Policies, Sustainability and Inequality: a Comprehensive Framework
Today, pension systems must deal with two open problems: their financial sustainability while facing both worldwide population aging and diffuse public finance distress; and their relationship with within- and between-generation rising inequality. These concerns are calling for structural reforms in many countries. We propose a new theoretical model to study the trade-offs entailed by all the possible combinations of retirement schemes (funded vs. unfunded…
Topicality (short-term)
NDC pension: an alternative for the Netherlands?
In the recent Netspar Brief / CPB Policy Brief ‘Low interest and the future of pensions’ (2020), the NDC pension (‘Non-Financial Defined Contribution’) is discussed as an alternative to – part of – the current second pillar of supplementary pensions . The NDC pension offers a supplementary pension, but on a pay-as-you-go basis within the first pillar. It includes all workers (including the self-employed)…
Theme
Understanding old-age inequality: the impact of work, family and health trajectories on post-retirement economic, social and psychological well-being across Europe
The goal of this project is to better understand inequality in old age, which might be increasing as a result of the policies to promote longer working lives. To reach this goal, the project will examine how and to what extent inequality in work, family and health trajectories over the pre-retirement life course influences inequality in retirement transitions and inequality in post-retirement economic, social…
Topicality (short-term)
Visual communication of uncertain retirement benefits
In the new pension system, the importance of good choice guidance for participants by pension funds and administrators will increase. One is also faced with the difficult task of informing participants on the possibility that the pension benefits might be higher or lower. The prediction of the amount of the benefits and the margin of uncertainty, are often communicated visually. Such visualizations can be…
Topicality (short-term)
Dynamics of risk attitudes
People’s willingness to take risks affects a range of decisions, many of them relevant for (pension) saving and investing. Financial institutions therefore have a special interest in the risk attitudes of their clients and even a legal obligation to measure clients’ risk attitudes and to take these into account. With the recent pension agreement, pension funds are also prompted to consider the risk attitudes…
Topicality (short-term)
Drawing up the bill: Does sustainable investing affect risk and return?
In the past decade, we have witnessed a remarkable rise in sustainable or “Environmental, Social, and Governance” (ESG) investing, especially among institutional investors such as pension funds and insurance companies. Whether sustainable investing affects the risk and return of these institutional investors is an important question. Both in the financial industry and in academic research, a popular viewpoint embraces the idea of “doing well…
Theme
Pension monitor: understanding causes and consequences of trust in pension institutions
Trust is a key asset for pension providers as the products and services they provide involve the act of people parting with their money in exchange for promises that cover a lifetime. Uncovering trust in pension institutions comes at a crucial point in time as the Dutch pension system is in a state of flux. The government has initiated fundamental reforms in response to…
Theme
Individual Pension Choices in Uncertain Times: Advancing Digital Support for Risky Pension Decisions
Individuals in the developed economies worldwide increasingly are confronted with an uncertain outlook towards retirement. Consequently, individuals are faced with a greater responsibility in organizing their own pension arrangements. Pension fund managers also face new challenges as their risk-returns decisions for pension investments translate more directly in differences in pension incomes for pension fund participants. In this project, we address three important aspects related…