Research & Analysis

This issue brief analyzes the effectiveness of pensions on teacher retention and productivity. It finds that pensions play a critical role in recruiting and retaining highly productive teachers.

A series of legislative fixes – some small and others more substantial – would make the Saver’s Credit less complex and more likely to achieve its intended goal of providing greater incentives and increase retirement savings.

A new research brief finds that most public defined benefit (DB) pension plans have effectively managed key retirement security risk – investment, adequacy, longevity and inflation risks.

An issue brief finds that teachers prefer a stand-alone defined benefit pension when given a choice between a pension plan or a plan that combines a defined contribution account with a pension.

This report assesses the level of security and risk provided by each country’s retirement system through the layers of income replacement provided by government, employer, and individual programs.

This primer provides a comprehensive overview of the public pension investment process, or how pension systems allocate assets and set expected rates of return.

This report examines key factors that have contributed to private and public employers’ pension decisions.  It finds that closing a pension can cost substantially more than adjusting an existing plan.

This report examines the workforce impacts of switching from a DB plan to a DC plan. Public employers would attract a different labor force, there would be an increase in employee turnover, and employers will incur higher costs.

A new issue brief provides a historical overview of the Federal Employees’ Retirement System and the Thrift Savings Plan and how they create a combined approach to achieving retirement security.

This report analyzes the effectiveness of defined benefit (DB) pensions on teacher retention and productivity finds that pensions play a critical role in recruiting and retaining productive teachers.

This report examines why DB pension plan coverage has declined for private sector workers. It finds that funding volatility is the primary culprit, not pension costs.

This report examines the specific challenges facing women in retirement and assesses the policies that may help increase retirement security for women.

This report finds that pensions are an effective tool to meet the objectives of employers, employees, and taxpayers and should not mimic the private sector trend away from pensions.

This issue brief explores important factors public employers should keep in mind when making decisions about their retirement programs during a weak economy.

This report examines whether the move from DB to DC plans has had an impact on the way retirement assets are invested. Individual investors, for instance, may have a shorter term investment horizon than DB plans.