The NCPA has written numerous publications on the unfunded liabilities of Social Security and possible reforms. We have also addressed unfunded liabilities of state and local public pensions. But one of my readers alerted me to her infographic that quite nicely sums up the Social Security and states’ pension crises, for those with no time to read long and arduous reports. What is particularly interesting in the infographic is the list of “Countries with the Strongest Pension Programs.” Countries that rank ahead of the U.S.A., such as Denmark, the Netherlands, Chile, Sweden, Switzerland, and Norway all have mandatory private pensions that either replace to some degree or supplement public pension systems (see this report from the Institute for the Study of Labor for more details on other countries’ pension systems). So why is it so difficult for the United States to transition to such a system?
