Intergenerational redistribution of income through capital funding pension schemes: simulating the Dutch pension fund ABP

In most countries, the largest proportion of the pension benefits that are paid out to the elderly are brought together by the contributions of the active population. This type of financing is known as a Pay-As-You-Go-scheme. In this scheme, an important ‘chain of solidarity' covers for the pension of the preceding generation. So, there is a pattern of winners and losers that is caused by the rates of ageing of the populations, in combination with PAYG-pension schemes. In pension schemes based on the Capital Funding (CF) type, individuals of every generation build up a certain future pension claim. So, every generation builds up its own future pension benefit in this type of scheme. Hence, CF pension schemes are believed not to rely on income flows between generations, since every generation finances its own future pension. The advantage then is that there are no winners or losers, from the generational point of view at least, so that demographic developments cannot jeopardize the system. But, this only holds for Defined-Contribution (DC) pension systems. In practice, we also observe Defined-Benefit (DB) pension systems. In fact, the larger part of the occupational pensions schemes in the Netherlands are DB ones. For this type of schemes it holds that absence of intergenerational income flows is a too optimistic view, though the redistribution is not that strongly as in the case of PAYG schemes. The central question in this contribution is whether intergenerational redistribution of income occurs via Capital Funding in case of DB pension schemes in the Netherlands. To that end we analyse the Dutch civil servants' pension fund in the Dutch dynamic microsimulation model NEDYMAS.microsimulation; ageing; social hypotheses; poverty; inequality

Karl Mannheims "Problem der Generationen" - 80 Jahre danach

'Mannheims Generationenbegriff aus seinem 1928 und 1929 erschienen zweiteiligen Artikel über 'Das Problem der Generationen' muss in der Gegenwart teilweise überarbeitet werden. Eine Unterscheidung zwischen Kohortengenerationen und Typologiegenerationen muss ausgearbeitet werden, da seit 1957 Stereotype von Generationen allgemein verbreitet wurden. Auch eine Differenzierung zwischen allgemeinen, partiellen und spezifischen Generationen ist notwendig geworden. Die gegenwärtige soziologische Generationenforschung kann häufig Methoden der Epidemiologieforschung anwenden, wie beispielsweise die Verwendung von Zufallsmodellen. Datenarchive erweitern die Möglichkeiten der Generationsforschung. Die Formativperiode im Lebenslauf ist nicht nur soziologisch, sondern auch biologisch und psychologisch abgegrenzt. Religionsforschung und Familienforschung können von der Generationenforschung profitieren.' (Autorenreferat)'Since the publication of Mannheim's two part article on 'The Problem of Generations' in 1928 and 1929 social change has made it necessary to elaborate on his concept of generations. Cohort generations and typological generations have to distinguished, because since 1957 stereotypes of generations have been institutionalized in society at large. Also, a distinction between general, partial and specific generations has to be made. In contemporary sociological research on generations many methods from epidemiological research can be applied, in particular probability models. Data warehouses contribute to the opportunities for generational research. The demarcation of the formative period in the life course has to be based not only on sociological but also on psychological and biological criteria. Research on religion and on the family can benefit from advantages provided by research on generations.' (author's abstract)

Producing detailed guidelines for appraisals:And OECD experience

In the 70s, the OECD set up an interdisciplinary team to develop and test guidelines for the appraisal o f multipurpose water projects (dams, flood control, irrigation, etc). Two prerequistes were identified: the customer must have sufficient knowledge to define the terms of reference, and the study leader must be conversant with the other disciplines involved.The team produced guidelines for the kinds of report to be prepared at each of five stages in appraising and evaluating such projects. These guidelines were then tested by local teams in seven countries, and final revisions were incorporated into an OECD book published in 1985

Intergenerational redistribution of income through capital funding pension schemes: simulating the Dutch pension fund ABP

In most countries, the largest proportion of the pension benefits that are paid out to the elderly are brought together by the contributions of the active population. This type of financing is known as a Pay-As-You-Go-scheme. In this scheme, an important ‘chain of solidarity' covers for the pension of the preceding generation. So, there is a pattern of winners and losers that is caused by the rates of ageing of the populations, in combination with PAYG-pension schemes. In pension schemes based on the Capital Funding (CF) type, individuals of every generation build up a certain future pension claim. So, every generation builds up its own future pension benefit in this type of scheme. Hence, CF pension schemes are believed not to rely on income flows between generations, since every generation finances its own future pension. The advantage then is that there are no winners or losers, from the generational point of view at least, so that demographic developments cannot jeopardize the system. But, this only holds for Defined-Contribution (DC) pension systems. In practice, we also observe Defined-Benefit (DB) pension systems. In fact, the larger part of the occupational pensions schemes in the Netherlands are DB ones. For this type of schemes it holds that absence of intergenerational income flows is a too optimistic view, though the redistribution is not that strongly as in the case of PAYG schemes. The central question in this contribution is whether intergenerational redistribution of income occurs via Capital Funding in case of DB pension schemes in the Netherlands. To that end we analyse the Dutch civil servants' pension fund in the Dutch dynamic microsimulation model NEDYMAS

Plasma Ghrelin Levels Are Associated with Anorexia but Not Cachexia in Patients with NSCLC

Background and Aims: The ghrelin receptor is one of the new therapeutic targets in the cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome. Previous studies revealed that plasma ghrelin levels were high in patients with anorexia nervosa and low in obese subjects. We studied to what extent ghrelin levels are related with anorexia and cachexia in patients with cancer. Materials and Methods: Fasted ghrelin levels were determined as well as anorexia and cachexia in patients with stage III/IV non-small cell lung cancer before chemotherapy. Total plasma ghrelin was measured by radioimmunoassay. Anorexia was measured with the FAACT-A/CS questionnaire (cut-off value ≤ 37). Cachexia was determined as > 5% weight loss (WL) in 6 months or > 2% WL in 6 months in combination with low BMI or low muscle mass. The Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to assess differences in plasma ghrelin levels between four groups: patients with (+) or without (-) anorexia (A) or cachexia (C). Multiple regression analyses were performed to assess differences in plasma ghrelin levels between patients C+ and C- and patients with A+ and A- (adjusted for age and sex). Results: Forty patients with stage III (33%) or stage IV (68%) were recruited, of which 50% was male. Mean age was 59.6 ± 10.3 years. Sixteen patients had no anorexia or cachexia (A-C-), seven patients had both anorexia and cachexia (A+C+), ten patients had anorexia without cachexia (A+C-) and seven patients had cachexia without anorexia (A-C+). The levels of total plasma ghrelin were significantly different between the four groups of patients with or without anorexia or cachexia (p = 0.032): the A+C- patients had significantly higher ghrelin levels [median (IQR): 1,754 (1,404-2,142) compared to the A-C+ patients 1,026 (952-1,357), p = 0.003]. A+ patients had significantly higher ghrelin levels compared A- patients (C+ and C- combined, β: 304, p = 0.020). Plasma ghrelin levels were not significantly different in C+ patients compared to C- patients (A+ and A- combined, β: -99, p = 0.450). Conclusions: Patients with anorexia had significantly higher ghrelin levels compared to patients without anorexia. We therefore hypothesize that patients with cancer anorexia might benefit from treatment with a ghrelin receptor agonist to prevent WL and deterioration in physical functioning

Biographic analysis of the demographic characteristics of the life histories of men and women in regional labour market cohorts as clusters of birth cohorts

Birg H, Flöthmann E-J, Reiter I. Biographic analysis of the demographic characteristics of the life histories of men and women in regional labour market cohorts as clusters of birth cohorts. In: Becker HA, Nederlands Instituut voor Voortgezet Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek op het Gebied van de Mens- en Maatschappijwetenschappen (Wassenaar), eds. Life histories and generations: proceedings of a symposium held on 22 and 23 June 1989 at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences, at Wassenaar. Utrecht: ISOR; 1991: 145-182

Criminology or Zemiology? Yes, please! on the refusal of choice between false alternatives

Buried deep within the zemiological movement and its supportive literature is the implicit assumption that the word zemia, the organising concept around which zemiology is built, simply represents ‘the Greek word for harm’. This interpretation has supported numerous drives to ‘move beyond criminology’ and erect strict borders between the study of crime and harm. However, a deeper, albeit still rather brief, exploration of zemia reveals that it possesses a broader range of meaning than that commonly afforded to it. By beginning to unpick zemia’s semantic genealogy, it appears that the conventional use of the word to support the imposition of false alternatives between criminology and zemiology is untenable. Accordingly, this chapter attempts to foreground a more integrated approach to the study of crime and harm

Homocysteine and Familial Longevity: The Leiden Longevity Study

Homocysteine concentrations are a read-out of methionine metabolism and have been related to changes in lifespan in animal models. In humans, high homocysteine concentrations are an important predictor of age related disease. We aimed to explore the association of homocysteine with familial longevity by testing whether homocysteine is lower in individuals that are genetically enriched for longevity. We measured concentrations of total homocysteine in 1907 subjects from the Leiden Longevity Study consisting of 1309 offspring of nonagenarian siblings, who are enriched with familial factors promoting longevity, and 598 partners thereof as population controls. We found that homocysteine was related to age, creatinine, folate, vitamin B levels and medical history of hypertension and stroke in both groups (all p<0.001). However, levels of homocysteine did not differ between offspring enriched for longevity and their partners, and no differences in the age-related rise in homocysteine levels were found between groups (p for interaction 0.63). The results suggest that homocysteine metabolism is not likely to predict familial longevity