Financing retirement pensions: Pay-as-you-go and funded systems in the European Union

The techniques used to finance retirement pensions in the European Union are extremely varied, as are schemes'institutional frameworks. The standard distinction between pay-as-you-go and funded systems obscures the fact that there are four main types of schemes, each with very distinct methods of regulation and conditions of long-term viability. An analysis of the current procedures reveals the extent to which the schemes'ways of operating differ, and points to considerable variations in the way the social actors participate in the process of regulation. The adaptation of pension systems to new realities is dependent on factors which go far beyond a simple choice between two basic methods of financing.