Pension Reform in Latin America and Its Lessons for International Policymakers

The experience of privatization of social security has been predominantly in the Latin American region. Eight countries have undertaken either full or partial privatization of pensions: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay. What did the policymakers expect? Were expectations realized? Can we learn anything from the collective experience of these countries? Can they be applied to other countries that are aspiring to privatize? How did the World Bank and other international institutions affect these policies? This text analyzes in detail these questions. The book begins with a detailed account of economic conditions in Latin America. It then discusses various models that policymakers rely on. Starting with a purely demographic model, it lays out advanced models of overlapping generations of Samuelson. The book gives extensive details of privatized pensions in each of the eight reforming countries. Two chapters are devoted to analyzing the reform in each country. Finally, detailed lessons are drawn that aim to help shape the debate for policymakers in other countries.