Adam Smith Institute

There is growing agreement that our state pension system must be underpinned by proper funding. The only worry about such a reform is the belief that "one generation must pay twice" - once to pay what is due to today's elderly and once more to build up funds for its own retirement. New research shows this fear to be unfounded. The economic gain from a funded system is so large that we could make the transition within a generation and still leave everyone better off.

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The future of the welfare state is now firmly at the centre of public debate. Its seeming inability to conquer poverty,despite an annual budget of £100 billion, provokes many to question whether a system designed in the 1940's is up to the challenges of today. The Adam Smith Institute argues that we need a completely different approach - replacing our collectivized state pensions and national insurance scheme with a system of personal lifetime fortune accounts, competitively provided.

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The history of the welfare state is a record of failing attempts to curb the costs of over optimistic promises made by politicians. This early welfare state was, like today's contributory and compulsory; but its benefits were neither comprehensive or universal. As we can see today the financial balance was well out of tilt. This report lays out a solution to the problems.

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The authors argue that UK welfare reform should combine the best features of successful reforms in other countries, rather than copying a single model. Contrasting the system in Singapore with the Chilean model, they maintain that important lessons can be learnt, Where Chile highlights the significace of private management. Singapore shows the possible flexability of new welfare provision. Both show the importance of moving to personally funded welfare accounts.

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Policy experts from both left and right agree that the welfare state cannot survive without a radical set of reforms. The new fortune Account would provide for retirement savings and lifetime insurance against unemployment and other risks. Positive incentives would reduce fraud, while the extra investment could produce an additional 3% rise in economic growth as experienced in Chile.

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