Effective retirement age from employment and full‐time employment,and the impact of the 2008 crisis

Estimates of effective retirement age based on labour force participation rates are commonly used for actuarial experience review and policy development. However, the transition from work to retirement and the socio‐economic environment have evolved over the years, influenced by a growing role for gradual retirement and the labour market impact of the 2008 economic crisis. Rather than focusing exclusively on retirement ages based on labour force participation rates, this article presents complementary estimates of retirement ages to better assess the effective retirement age from employment. It also introduces the concept of retirement from full‐time employment, showing that the retirement age from full‐time employment is systematically lower than the retirement age from employment. The results reveal that the trend towards an increase in the retirement age has been impacted by economic conditions when considering the effective employment of older workers. Results are presented for different Member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development over the period 2005–2015.     

Has the redistributive effect of social transfers and taxes changed over time across countries?

In most Member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation Development (OECD), the income gap between rich and poor has widened over the past decades. This article analyses whether and to what extent income taxes and social transfers have contributed to this trend. Has the redistributive impact of different social programmes changed over time? We use microdata from the LIS Cross National Data Center in Luxembourg for the period 1982–2014 and study both the total population and the working‐age population. In contrast to the results of some other studies, especially by the OECD, we do not find that redistribution has declined. Tax‐benefit systems around 2013 are more effective at reducing income inequality compared to the mid‐1980s and the mid‐1990s, especially among the total population. Changes in social programmes are not a driver of greater income inequality across the countries included in this study.     

Work,social protection and the middle classes: What future in the digital age?

The digitalization of the economy can be interpreted as an industrial revolution, a series of technological innovations associated with new practices and new business models. As for previous industrial revolutions, a phase involving the destruction of existing systems and structures is driving a profound transformation of the world of work and the development of new sectors of activity and new jobs, including changes in the labour market and in the types of jobs created. This puts into question the position of the middle classes, and presents new challenges for social protection. This article seeks to understand the impacts of digital technology on the economy and employment, including the phenomena of labour market polarization. It describes the new forms of employment and work and analyses the social risks and the likely ramifications for the middle classes in the digital age. In turn, new possibilities for social protection in the digital age are discussed. The article concludes that there is a need to re‐evaluate jobs that involve the provision of personal and care services, including to support social investment, to strengthen the future prospects of the weakened middle classes.     

The impact of international migration on the public pension system: The case of Portugal

This article analyses the impact of replacement migration on the financial sustainability of the old‐age pension system in Portugal, a country with one of the largest ageing populations in Europe. We do this using demographic forecasts and prospective exercises for the evolution of the Portuguese economy. During the 2015–2060 period, our results evidence the positive impacts of international migration on old‐age pension system financial balances, reaching over 3 per cent of GDP after 2045. Moreover, even when taking into considering the low dynamics for the Portuguese economy, replacement migration is an important input to improve pension system financial sustainability.     

Modeling agricultural risk management policies – The implementation of the Income Stabilization Tool in Italy

This paper investigates the potential impact of the income stabilisation tool (IST), currently introduced in the European Common Agricultural Policy to reduce farmers’ income risks using Italian agriculture as case study. The paper extends the existing literature by investigating the effects of two implementation issues: level of aggregation of mutual funds (MF); definition of farmers’ contribution (i.e. premium) to MF. We use a simulation approach based on a FADN panel data set of 3421 farms over a period of 7 years to investigate effects on (i) farm-level income variability, (ii) the expected level and variability of indemnifications at the level of mutual funds and (iii) the distribution of net benefits from this policy instrument across the farm population. We find that the introduction of the IST would lead to a significant reduction of income variability in Italian agriculture. Our results support the establishment of a national mutual fund due to the high volatility of indemnification levels at more disaggregated (e.g. regional or sectoral) levels. In addition, our results propose that farmers’ contribution to mutual funds, i.e. premiums paid, should be modulated according to farm size as this reduces the inequality of the distribution of benefits of such tool within the farm population.     

油松种子休眠特性研究

对浓硫酸处理后的油松种子进行萌发实验.结果表明,处理后的油松种子在长时间浸种过程中会造成可溶性糖的流失,从而影响种子的发芽率.油松种皮对水分的浸入没有明显的阻隔作用.经处理的油松种子吸水后种皮易被撑破,种皮破裂后的种子萌发时间不会提前,种皮限制不是影响油松种子发芽的原因.     

环境因素对植物硝态氮代谢的影响

硝态氮(NO3--N)是植物最重要的氮素来源,对植物生长发育来说是极为重要的。进入植物体内的硝态氮只有在转化为氨态氮后才能为植物所直接利用,这一代谢过程受外界硝酸盐浓度、温度、土壤pH值、光照及二氧化碳等环境因素的影响。本文在查阅大量文献基础上,对近些年来有关环境因素对植物硝态氮代谢的影响方面的研究进展进行综述,这将为以后进行相关方面的研究提供一定的帮助。     

国内萧伯纳戏剧研究的现状与未来

自新文化运动以降,国内学界对萧伯纳戏剧的研究不断深入,取得了许多较为显著的成果。综观近一个世纪以来发表的研究成果,可以发现,国内学界对萧伯纳戏剧的研究主要集中在两个方面,即萧伯纳的创作思想研究及戏剧文本研究,其“社会问题剧”则是相关研究的重中之重。尽管国内学界对萧伯纳戏剧的研究视角多样、结论纷呈,但总体来看,相关研究在强调切入社会现实还是重视艺术手法这一问题上莫衷一是。此外,萧伯纳所处的时代正是爱尔兰民族走向独立的关键时期,萧伯纳对“爱尔兰文艺戏剧运动”的态度及其在爱尔兰民族身份建构中所起的作用尚需进一步的研究。     

3G时代针对网民心理特点的移动图书馆服务

3G时代,网民心理呈现出许多新的特点。面对愈演愈烈的信息服务竞争,发挥图书馆自身的优势,打破阻碍图书馆发展的瓶颈,运用分化式、快捷式、参与式、辐射式信息服务策略,是移动图书馆取得成功的关键。