Abstract
Most countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region spend a considerable share of their national income on social protection. In Egypt and Jordan, for example, this share ranges between 20 and 25 per cent. Most of the money, however, is used for social protection instruments that significantly lack equity, efficiency and financial sustainability. The public pension schemes of the MENA countries are characterized, in particular, by (1) low coverage rates, (2) regressive redistribution from the poor to the urban middle class, (3) high administrative costs, (4) unsustainable benefit conditions and (5) inefficient investment policies.
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Loewe, M. (2014). Pension Schemes and Pension Reforms in the Middle East and North Africa. In: Hujo, K. (eds) Reforming Pensions in Developing and Transition Countries. Social Policy in a Development Context. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137396112_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137396112_3
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