Projects (12)
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.
Topicality (short-term)
Pension adequacy: toward a (more) complete picture of retirement income for the entire Dutch population
An important goal of a pension system is for people to be able to maintain their standard of living to a reasonable degree after retirement. Pension income must be adequate for that purpose. Pensions in the Netherlands are considered generous internationally, among others by Knoef et al. (2014) and the annual Mercer Pension Index (2022). However, that does not apply to everyone, and there…
Topicality (short-term)
Learning together from risk preference surveys
The aim of this research is to aggregate and analyze data from various RPSs (risk preference surveys) in the pension sector in order to learn faster. How big are the differences between methods, between target groups, and between periods in which RPSs have been carried out? In other words, what can we say about and learn from the heterogeneity? A guideline for the methodologies…
Theme
Automated financial advice: quality, ethical and design challenges
Nearly 30% of Dutch households are at risk of having insufficient financial resources after retirement (Knoef, Been et al. 2016) and 40% of 35-55 year-olds have no idea of their financial situation after retirement (Nibud 2019). Research by the AFM revealed that pension providers do not always properly guide participants in their choices (AFM 2021). Thus, it is important that individuals are well-informed about…
Topicality (short-term)
How can the risk attitude of a member be determined in a pension scheme?
In this topicality project we investigate whether we can creatively package the complex questions of the CTB method for measuring risk attitude in a game (research game), so that less literate people can easily answer the questions (gamification). We will test the game experimentally and compare it with a standard survey. Does the game lower selective non-response? Does the game improve the quality of…
Topicality (short-term)
Pension Gender Gap in the Nederlands
The gender gap in pensions issues has been the focus of the European Commission, including in the context of the implementation of the European Pillar on Social Rights. The Commission emphasizes equal opportunities between men and women in the field of pensions, and states: “equal rules might not be enough”. The Netherlands scores poorly internationally in terms of the pension gap between men and…
Topicality (short-term)
Labor market effects of progressive contributions and degressive accrual
In this topicality project we are interested in the labor market effects of progressive pension premiums and decreasing pension accumulation rates, as an alternative for the Dutch system of age independent premiums and accumulation rates. We aim at gaining insight in how these will change wage costs, demand, and supply of older and younger workers. This implies that we need to know labor supply…
International Comparative Research
Private pension annuities out of savings or housing wealth? A comparative study of Italy and the Netherlands
The life-cycle model (Modigliani, 1960) predicts that people accumulate assets for consumption smoothing and thus to compensate possible income drops, especially upon retirement. This includes also housing that, as any other asset, can possibly be decumulated (or downsized) later in the life-cycle. Unanticipated wealth shocks (including shocks to housing wealth) should lead to a modification of the individuals’ consumption-saving path. There are factors that…
Topicality (short-term)
Target group analysis of variable benefit schemes
Since 2016, it has been possible to continue to invest in the payment phase of (improved) premium schemes. The variable benefit offers a higher (starting) benefit, but with more uncertainty. Does this meet the participant’s need on retirement date and how is the variability of the benefit perceived? What are the issues that are important for a participant in retirement? And on the basis…
Topicality (short-term)
Simplicity and flexibility with regard to pension savings for the self-employed
There is a substantial group of self-employed people (around 40%) who after retirement are likely to have an income that is lower than 70% of their current income. Compared to employees, self-employed with middle incomes in particular build up relatively little capital for old age. At the same time, we see that this group has relatively much free savings and housing assets. So there seems…
Topicality (short-term)
Survivor’s Income Position
The aim of this topicality project is to clarify in more detail how large the income-downfall is when a partner dies and in which groups of households the income risk is greatest. To what extent, for example, does a surviving relative with children have a worse prospect than a surviving partner without children? Given this decrease of income, what is an adequate survivor’s pension…