Evolving Pension System

William G. Gale is a vice president and director of the Brookings Institution's Economic Studies program, Washington, D.C., USA, where he holds the Arjay and Frances Fearing Miller Chair in Federal Economic Policy. He is also founding codirector of the Tax Policy Center, a joint venture of the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, USA. John B. Shoven is the Charles R. Schwab Professor of Economics at Stanford University, California, USA. Mark J. Warshawsky was director of research at the TIAA-CREF Institute, North Carolina, USA.

"This book demonstrates that contemporary pension researchers have access to huge data sets and econometric tools beyond what many scholars studying labor problems a half-century ago could imagine. As a result, the generate precise estimates on matters such as the distributional impact of pension tax incentives and the extent to which a pension reduces labor turnover. The volume does an excellent job of presenting such findings and integrating them into a concise overview of the pension system and prominent reform options." —Charles J. Whalen, Perspectives on Work, Journal of Economic Issues, 12/1/2006|"The book is extremely accessible but very rigorous and will be eagerly read by researchers and policy makers. Highly recommended." —R. M. Whaples, Wake Forest University, CHOICE, 9/1/2006|"The papers are all authored by leading figures in the relevant area, they are all informative and interesting, and they make important contributions. The book too will be an important contribution to the pension literature, and it will show up on reading lists across the country." — Journal of Economic Literature, 12/1/2006|"This volume delivers on its promise. It offers a contextual overview of the American private pension system that enhances our understanding of the role of employer-sponsored retirement plans and pension policy. It also provides sufficient background for evaluating reform proposals. Both the high quality of the writing in this collection and the complementarity of the papers are signs of a firm, sure editorial hand." —Silvana Pozzebon, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 4/1/2007|"This book is a very good and (for the most part) non-technical discussion of the general issues surrounding pensions. The list of contributors reads like a who's who of pension experts. Schiebert's chapter does a wonderful job of providing insight into the historical context of pensions. The two chapters on comprehensive penions reform allow sharply differing viewpoints to be stated clearly, and they highlight the complexity of the issues." —Thomas Steinmeier, Texas Tech University, Journal of Pension Economics & Finance