How partisan politics influence government policies in response to ageing populations. (1st April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kweon, Yesola; Suzuki, Kohei
• Is Part Of: Policy and politics. Volume 50:Number 2(2022)
• Page Start: 261
• Page End: 281
• Publication Date: 2022-04-01
• Subjects: population ageing -- pensions -- partisan politics -- life-course risk -- government expenditure -- replacement rates -- OECD; Local government -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Policy sciences -- Periodicals; Political science -- Periodicals; 320.605
• DOI: 10.1332/030557321X16316356206483
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0305-5736

Abstract

Abstract : Since old-age programmes mitigate life-course risks that are relevant to individuals across socio-economic groups in ageing societies, all parties have a political incentive to support these initiatives. Nevertheless, pre-existing partisan commitments bind the policy instruments that parties use. Cabinet-level analyses of OECD economies demonstrate that left incumbency relies more on public expenditure than right-wing governments. What is more important is that, in the context of large elderly populations, pension coverage is greater under right-leaning governments, while pension replacement rates are higher in left-leaning governments. This shows that party behaviour related to life course-related policies cannot be explained by the conventional pro-expansion versus the pro-retrenchment partisan politics. Rather, a focus on partisan variation in the use of policy instruments is required. 1