Individual and collective determinants of welfare state attitudes: an empirical study on European retirement reform

Abstract

Current demographic and economic trends pose a threat to the financial sustainability of modern welfare states, especially in PAYG pension systems, which are one of the main features of welfare expenditure. These rising constraints prove that such path-dependent processes are urged to be reformed. In this study I analyze the individual, collective and political determinants that shape pension reform attitudes in three European countries (France, Italy and Spain). My aim is to shed light on what are the driving (or impeding) forces in pension policy. In order to do so, I carry out an econometric analysis of cross-section survey data on welfare state and pension systems reform attitudes.