Preparing for Policy Changes: Social Security Expectations and Pension Scheme Participation

Western governments are currently contemplating how to adapt their Pay-As-You-Go pension systems so that these remain financially sustainable, even with an aged population. To the extent that policy-makers haven't already adapted their old age social security schemes, an ageing population thus leads to policy uncertainty in first pillar pensions. This paper sheds more light on the relationship between public and private savings by analyzing private pension scheme participation in the presence of such policy uncertainty. To do so, I assess the influence of subjective policy change expectations on voluntary pension scheme participation in the Netherlands. I find that participation in private pension schemes is higher for those who assign a high probability to the dismantlement of old age social security – in terms of lower benefits levels but more so in terms of a higher eligibility age. In addition, subjectively short-lived individuals who believe an eligibility age increase to be more likely than a benefit level cut, participate more. This could be explained by the fact that the relative cost of an eligibility age increase is larger for those who expect to live shorter. Individuals hence do prepare themselves for anticipated policy changes in old age social security and policy uncertainty in social security thus seems to lead to an increase in, or crowding in of, private savings.ageing, savings behavior, social security, subjective probabilities, uncertainty

Better Protected, Better Paid: Evidence on How Employment Protection Affects Wages

This paper empirically establishes the effect of the employer's term of notice on the wage level of employees. The term of notice is defined as the period an employer has to notify workers in advance of their up-coming dismissal. The wages paid during this period are an important element of firing costs and hence employment protection. To find a causal effect, I exploit the exogenous change in the term of notice that resulted from the introduction of a new Dutch law in 1999. Strong evidence is found that a longer ‘dormant’ term of notice leads to higher wages. In my sample, an additional month of notice increases wages by three percent, ceteris paribus.employment protection, wages, fixed effects

Surface Acoustic Wave induced Transport in a Double Quantum Dot

We report on non-adiabatic transport through a double quantum dot under irradiation of surface acoustic waves generated on-chip. At low excitation powers, absorption and emission of single and multiple phonons is observed. At higher power, sequential phonon assisted tunneling processes excite the double dot in a highly non-equilibrium state. The present system is attractive for studying electron-phonon interaction with piezoelectric coupling.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Semiconductor quantum dots for electron spin qubits

We report on our recent progress in applying semiconductor quantum dots for spin-based quantum computation, as proposed by Loss and DiVincenzo (1998 Phys. Rev. A 57 120). For the purpose of single-electron spin resonance, we study different types of single quantum dot devices that are designed for the generation of a local ac magnetic field in the vicinity of the dot. We observe photon-assisted tunnelling as well as pumping due to the ac voltage induced by the ac current driven through a wire in the vicinity of the dot, but no evidence for ESR so far. Analogue concepts for a double quantum dot and the hydrogen molecule are discussed in detail. Our experimental results in laterally coupled vertical double quantum dot device show that the Heitler–London model forms a good approximation of the two-electron wavefunction. The exchange coupling constant J is estimated. The relevance of this system for two-qubit gates, in particular the SWAP operation, is discussed. Density functional calculations reveal the importance of the gate electrode geometry in lateral quantum dots for the tunability of J in realistic two-qubit gates

An unusual presentation of a patient with intrathoracic stomach: a case report

An intrathoracic stomach is the end stage of a hiatal hernial diaphragm and has a very low incidence. Frequently the diagnosis is made incidentally by endoscopic or radiographic investigations. There could be no clinical symptoms, however an intrathoracic stomach could be life treating. In this case we report a 61-year-old woman with an atypical presentation of an intrathoracic stomach. The patient had fever, night sweats and cough; the chest X-ray showed a retroperitoneal mass. A computed tomography scan was performed for determining the diagnosis of an intrathoracic stomach

Two path transport measurements on a triple quantum dot

We present an advanced lateral triple quantum dot made by local anodic oxidation. Three dots are coupled in a starlike geometry with one lead attached to each dot thus allowing for multiple path transport measurements with two dots per path. In addition charge detection is implemented using a quantum point contact. Both in charge measurements as well as in transport we observe clear signatures of states from each dot. Resonances of two dots can be established allowing for serial transport via the corresponding path. Quadruple points with all three dots in resonance are prepared for different electron numbers and analyzed concerning the interplay of the simultaneously measured transport along both paths.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Compression of sub-relativistic space-charge-dominated electron bunches for single-shot femtosecond electron diffraction

We demonstrate compression of 95 keV, space-charge-dominated electron bunches to sub-100 fs durations. These bunches have sufficient charge (200 fC) and are of sufficient quality to capture a diffraction pattern with a single shot, which we demonstrate by a diffraction experiment on a polycrystalline gold foil. Compression is realized by means of velocity bunching as a result of a velocity chirp, induced by the oscillatory longitudinal electric field of a 3 GHz radio-frequency cavity. The arrival time jitter is measured to be 80 fs