International Social Security Review: Actuarial and financial reporting of social security obligations

A new special issue of the International Social Security Review discusses social security protection as a strong and vital component of society and national economies, maintaining and developing the human capital of all.

To ensure the sustainability of social security protection, the actuarial profession has a responsibility to act in the public interest. In a context of increasing transparency of social security design and financing, this responsibility shapes the important work of the actuarial profession, demanding that it pays constant attention to a broad set of evolving demographic, labour market and economic factors.

Key take-home points

To strengthen social security for women and men, the special issue offers four broad take-home points concerning the public interest role of the actuarial profession:

• Social security protection acts as a strong and vital component of society and also of a country’s economy by attenuating the inequalities faced by women and men as well as maintaining and developing the human capital of all.
• There is a need to consider actuarial input and judgement in choosing the most appropriate approach to assess social security retirement benefit promises, both in the methodology used and the assumptions underlying the calculations.
• Policy-makers, governments and other stakeholders should take an approach to assessing the financial obligations of social security systems that is consistent across systems, and which does not encourage or promote a particular financing approach.
• To ensure the sustainability of social security protection for all, the actuarial profession has a responsibility to act in the public interest and its voice should be heard.

Special Issue: Actuarial and financial reporting of social security obligations

Foreword
Hans‐Horst Konkolewsky

Introduction: Quantifying and reporting social security obligations
Assia Billig, Simon Brimblecombe, Jean-Claude Ménard

Measuring and reporting obligations of social security retirement systems: Actuarial perspectives
Barbara D’Ambrogi‐Ola, Robert L. Brown

Discussing accrued‐to‐date liabilities
Mitchell Wiener, Philip Stokoe

Measuring and reporting the actuarial obligations of the Canada Pension Plan
Assia Billig, Jean-Claude Ménard

Accounting for social benefits: The search for a past even
Paul Mason

Towards a fair assessment of social security liabilities under pay‐as‐you‐go and partially funded scheme
Anne Drouin, Pierre Plamondon, Cristina LloretCorresponding Author

Reporting the pension obligations of social security schemes: An EU perspective
Costas Stavrakis

 
The Special Issue is free to access until the end of 2018. 

International Social Security Review is Published on behalf of the International Social Security Association