Universal Pensions in Mauritius: Lessons for the Rest of Us

That the Government of Mauritius provides nearly every resident over the age of 60 with a non-contributory, basic pension is one of the best-kept secrets in the world. The scheme dates from 1950 and became universal in 1958, following abolition of a means test. Remarkably, introduction of a compulsory, contributory scheme for workers in the private sector appears to have strengthened the non-contributory regime without affecting its universality. This paper examines the past and future of non-contributory, universal pensions in Mauritius, and draws lessons that might be useful for other countries, especially those in the developing world. United Nations DESA Discussion Paper No.32, April 2003.public pensions, social security, means test, targeting, demographic ageing, Mauritius

Universal Pensions in Low Income Countries

Most workers in developing countries have no access to pensions in old age. Well-intentioned reformers have concentrated on privatization, but this does nothing to expand coverage. Non-contributory, universal pensions automatically protect an entire population, in a way that contributory pensions - public or private - never can. This paper explores the feasibility of introducing such pensions in low-income countries. October 2004 revised and expanded edition of the September 2001 paper. Initiative for Policy Dialogue Working Paper No. IPD-01-05.social security, pension reform, citizen's pension

Government Policies toward Information and Communication

The development of what one might call 'modern' systems of information and communication began with the Gutenberg printing press in the 15th century, and progressed through the prepaid postal system, electric telegraph and telephone in the 19th century, radio and television broadcasting in the 20th century, and most recently the Internet. This essay focuses on the response of governments to these innovations, beginning with the printing press. United Nations DESA Discussion Paper No. 21 (October 2001).internet, printing press, telegraph, telephone, broadcasting, information and communication technologies (ICT)

Export Processing in the Caribbean: Lessons from Four Case Studies

The author reviews case studies of four Caribbean countries-the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Trinidad-and briefly discusses an African country, Mauritius. He compares labour legislation, nationality of investors, technology transfer, and linkages with the rest of the economy. Of these five cases, only Trinidad failed to develop a significant export processing sector. Explanations rooted in government policy are suggested for this result. United Nations ECLAC Working Paper No. 42 (September 1996).export processing zones, export promotion, Dominincan Republic, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius, transnational corporations

Towards Universal Pension Coverage in Mexico

In 2000 only 22% of older people in Mexico received a pension. Then, in 2002, the first non-contributory pension was introduced in Mexico City. Since then 17 of Mexico's 31 states have also introduced social pensions and so has the federal district. The introduction of these non-contributory pensions meant that in 2013 coverage had risen to 88%. This briefing first looks at the situation before social pensions were introduced, it then tracks the rise in coverage and finishes by suggesting some areas for improvement

Magnetic shell enhancements during magnetic disturbances

Magnetic shell enhancements during magnetic field disturbances from Langmuir probe observations of electron density on Ariel I satellit

Non-contributory Pensions: Bolivia and Antigua in an International Context

Includes bibliographyAbstract The author examines the pension systems of Bolivia and Antigua in the context of non-contributory pensions around the world, concluding with policy lessons. Universal pensions available to everyone of eligible age, regardless of income, assets or employment history, have many advantages over targeted pensions. If targeting is desired, it is best done with ex post recovery from other income rather than ex ante means tests. For reasons that are unclear, governments almost always prefer ex ante tests to ex post controls for noncontributory pensions, even though the reverse is true for tax collection. The worst type of old age pension, from the point of view of poverty relief, is a minimum pension tied to a contributory system or to government service, for this excludes the poorest and most vulnerable from benefits. Key words: Bolivia, Antigua and Barbuda, non-contributory pensions, social security, targeting, means tests

Oscillatory dynamics in a heterogeneous surface reaction: Breakdown of the mean-field approximation

Hierarchical mean-field rate equations and lattice-gas simulations were developed to elucidate the effects of the breakdown of the mean-field approximation for a model heterogeneous chemical oscillator that represents a simple extension of the well-known monomer-dimer surface reaction model. The bifurcation structure of the reaction kinetics depends sensitively on the details of surface transport processes, and the oscillatory behavior exhibited by the site approximation rate equations is not generally robust with respect to spatial correlations

Force dipoles and stable local defects on fluid vesicles

An exact description is provided of an almost spherical fluid vesicle with a fixed area and a fixed enclosed volume locally deformed by external normal forces bringing two nearby points on the surface together symmetrically. The conformal invariance of the two-dimensional bending energy is used to identify the distribution of energy as well as the stress established in the vesicle. While these states are local minima of the energy, this energy is degenerate; there is a zero mode in the energy fluctuation spectrum, associated with area and volume preserving conformal transformations, which breaks the symmetry between the two points. The volume constraint fixes the distance $S$, measured along the surface, between the two points; if it is relaxed, a second zero mode appears, reflecting the independence of the energy on $S$; in the absence of this constraint a pathway opens for the membrane to slip out of the defect. Logarithmic curvature singularities in the surface geometry at the points of contact signal the presence of external forces. The magnitude of these forces varies inversely with $S$ and so diverges as the points merge; the corresponding torques vanish in these defects. The geometry behaves near each of the singularities as a biharmonic monopole, in the region between them as a surface of constant mean curvature, and in distant regions as a biharmonic quadrupole. Comparison of the distribution of stress with the quadratic approximation in the height functions points to shortcomings of the latter representation. Radial tension is accompanied by lateral compression, both near the singularities and far away, with a crossover from tension to compression occurring in the region between them.Comment: 26 pages, 10 figure