Argentina underwent economic and social collapse in December 2001. The crisis brought the worst socioeconomic indicators in its history, and the pension system was not immune from this disaster, which was unparalleled in any middle‐income developing country. In 1994 the pension system had been restructured, and was regarded as a viable model for other reforms elsewhere. This article discusses in general terms the features of the current pension scheme, the structural problems that were not resolved in the reform of 1994, the relation between that reform and the government's financial crisis, and the impact of the economic collapse on the pension system. Finally, it discusses some aspects of the challenges faced in building a system that is financially viable and has the potential to close the major gaps in coverage affecting both the working population and older persons.
This chapter discusses pension reform in Argentina. Argentina instituted a major pension reform in 1994 following an extremely serious macroeconomic crisis. Partly inspired by Chile's experience, it replaced its PAYGO system with a mixed model that incorporated elements of both public and private systems. It is argued that the pension reform was actually a combination of four separate but interdependent reforms: a number of parametric changes, which resulted in stricter requirements for receiving benefits; a shift from a DB formula tying benefits to previous earnings to a DC structure; a re-introduction of a funded scheme; and a set of institutional changes that created both pension fund management firms and public supervisory agencies. Coverage rates as well as indirect economic effects, such as the impact on capital and labour markets are considered, and key policy challenges with respect to coverage, institutional design and efficiency, and system fragmentation are reviewed. While these issues were exacerbated by the 2001-2 financial crisis, it is shown that the pension funds have produced reasonable returns over time.
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