Altruism, fairness and public pensions: An investigation of survey and experimental data

It is often argued that the maintenance of pension systems is threatened by the ageing of the population. In spite of this, public pension systems still seem to enjoy broad popular support in most western countries. This thesis empirically investigates where this support comes from and it derives its determining factors. First, using survey data from a representative sample of the Dutch population, the possible impact of considerations of altruism and fairness is studied. The results suggest that social considerations affect individuals' utility. Second, several related economic experiments have been conducted to study whether and under what circumstances voluntary transfer systems can be established. It turns out that under some conditions reasonable levels of voluntary transfers can occur, which may imply a generic willingness to contribute. It is argued that in spite of the ageing process, public pension systems may survive