From 1979 through 1984 the economic bases of rural Oregon counties have undergone structural change. Nonwage income, especially transfer payments, has played an important role in these changes. Demographic changes in rural counties have contributed to the growth in unearned income. The economic structure of rural Oregon counties was estimated by applying indirect export analysis techniques to secondary data. The results of the structural analysis provided the data for the econometric analysis. A conceptual model of regional growth was developed that incorporated community characteristics such as the size of the market (population) and market distance (location and commuting activity) from central place theory. This conceptual model was made operational through several econometric models which regressed basic income and community characteristics on residentiary incomes. Data limitations prevented extensive testing of the econometric models. Some bias, which affected the values of the residentiary sectors, was perceived in the estimation of exports. Two methodological improvements were attained. Firstly, the economic base of each county was estimated with sectoral groupings and data disaggregation that were better suited to the analytical techniques than is commonly applied. Secondly, a regional growth model was develped that combined basic income arguments with regional location and population arguments. The growth of expenditures by transfer payments recipients, both as a type of basic income expenditure and as a representative of retiree consumption, helped to account for the growth of residentiary income in rural counties during the early 1980's. Due to the steady growth of transfer payments, the growth of the retiree population and the decline in export earnings, policy makers should specifically consider the changing number of retirees when formulating regional development strategies. / Graduation date: 1988

Thesis advisor: Shannon Seitz / Issues pertaining to low income workers are of the upmost interest to policy makers. In the mid 1990s, the issue of welfare recipients and work was at the forefront of public policy, as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 was passed. One of the many goals of the policy was to "end the dependence of needy families on government benefits" by encouraging work and ultimately higher wages. The first paper of my dissertation explores the processes by which work leads to wage growth for welfare recipients. I find that welfare recipients have similar returns to tenure and experience as non-recipients and that tenure has higher returns than experience for these women. Because of this, policies that discourage leaving work, like a work requirement, are more effective encouraging wage growth than policies discouraging welfare use, like a time-limit. A decade later, the low savings rates of low income workers has led policy makers within the Obama administration to consider making Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) available to all workers. The second paper of this dissertation examines how likely low individual workers are to participate in these plans. We find that low-income workers not currently offered voluntary retirement savings plans are less likely to participate than those currently offered those plans. The paper indicates policy makers should be wary of basing estimates of participation in the offered IRAs on current participation, as this may overestimate the participation rate by up to 25 percent. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

Existing studies provide a range of insights into the causes of womens low retirement incomes and emphasise the effect of low life-time incomes on womens access to economic resources in later life. Despite these insights, however, there is relatively little research on the roles played by motivations, social institutions and decision-making processes in determining womens capacity to save for retirement. In order to address some of these gaps in our understanding, this study aimed to broaden the range of theoretical approaches applied to economic studies of womens retirement savings strategies. Based on methodological perspectives informed by critical realism and feminist epistemology, the study utilised grounded research methods to collect and analyse qualitative data relevant to womens financial decisions and retirement plans. The data collection and analysis process are conceptually organised and integrated to propose a theoretical contribution that emphasises the links between social structures and specific decision-making processes that systematically contribute to low retirement savings for women. The studys findings are discussed with reference to existing economic literature that has not previously been utilised in studies of womens retirement incomes. The conclusions from this study suggest that there are significant features of womens decision-making contexts that contribute to ongoing under-saving to support women in later life.

Abstract not available

Thesis (doctoral)--Göteborg University, 2008. / Added t.p. with thesis statement and abstract inserted. Includes bibliographical references.

AFRIKAANS: Die doel van hierdie studie is om die beleggingsamestelling van aftreefondse in Suid-Afrika te ontleed en die beleggingsopbrengste van aftreefondse teen verteenwoordigende markindekse te vergelyk. Die invloed van voorgeskrewe beleggingsvereistes op die beleggingsamestelling van aftreefondse is ook bepaal. Aftreefondse speel 'n toenemende belangrike rol in die voorsiening van sosiale sekuriteit. Hierdie belangrike rol word weerspieël deur die groei in die aantal fondse, asook die aantal fondslede en die verskeidenheid voordele wat aftreefondse bied. Aan die einde van 1998 het aftreefondse in Suid-Afrika bates ter waarde van R604,8 miljard beheer, wat aftreefondsinstellings van die grootste en sekerlik die invloedrykste finansiele instellings in Suid-Afrika maak. Die belangrikste oorweging van aftreefondse is om die bydraes deur lede en werkgewers te administreer en na selektief gekose beleggingsmedia te kanaliseer om sodoende oor die langtermyn bevredigende opbrengste te verdien, wat weer groter voordele vir fondslede beteken. Bestuursrade van aftreefondse is gemoeid met die bestuur van fondsbates op so 'n wyse dat die hoogste opbrengs vir 'n geskikte vlak van risiko bereik word. Die empiriese studie van hierdie ondersoek word beperk tot die twintig grootste selfgeadminstreerde aftreefondse in Suid-Afrika volgens batewaardes in 1998. ‘n Vraelys is na die geselekteerde aftreefondse uitgestuur om hierdie aftreefondse se beskouing oor belangrike aspekte rakende die belegging van fondse te verkry. Die data wat in die empiriese ontleding gebruik word, is gebaseer op Jaarverslae van die Registrateur van Pensioenfondse, ontledings deur aktuarisse en administrateurs, inligting uit die finansiele jaarstate en die beleggingsbeleid van die twintig grootste selfgeadministreerde aftreefondse en verteenwoordigende markprysindekse. Die twintig grootste selfgeadministreerde aftreefondse het die verteenwoordigende markindekse vir die periode onder oorsig oortref. Die 25% belastingkoers wat op netto huurinkomste en bruto rente-inkomste gehef word, het egter 'n negatiewe invloed op die kontantvloei van aftreefondse. Tydens die periode onder oorsig het die gemiddelde beleggingsopbrengs van die twintig grootste selfgeadministreerde aftreefondse die verbruikersprysindeks op ‘n jaarlikse grondslag geklop. Dit dui daarop dat die bestuursrade daarin kon slaag om die uitwerking van inflasie op die beleggingsprestasie van aftreefondse en die pensioenaanpassing wat daarmee saamhang, tee te werk. Uit die ontleding van die beleggingsportefeulje het dit duidelik geblyk dat die beleggingsperke nie ‘n invloed op die beleggingsamestelling van aftreefondse het nie omrede die aftreefondse sonder moeite aan die voorgeskrewe perke voldoen het. In Eenvormige benadering kan egter nie by die beleggingstrategie van omskrewe bydraefondse toegepas word nie. Een van die oogmerke van die bestuursraad is om te verseker dat die belange van die fondslede te aile tye beskerm word. ‘n Beleggingstrategie om in alle lede se behoeftes te voorsien moet derhalwe spesifiek vir die bepaalde aftreefonds ontwikkel word. ENGLISH: The purpose of this study was to analyse the asset allocation of retirement funds in South Africa and to compare the investment returns of the retirement funds with related market indexes. The effect of prescribed investment limits on the asset allocation of retirement funds was also determined. Retirement funds play an increasingly important role in providing social security. This important role is reflected by the growth in the number of funds, as well as the number of fund members and the benefits which retirement funds provide. At the end of 1998, retirement funds in South Africa controlled R604,8 billion worth of assets, which make retirement institutions the largest and potentially the most influential financial institutions in South Africa. The most important task of retirement funds is to administer the contributions of members and employers and to channel these funds to selective chosen investment media to ensure that in the long-term acceptable returns are earned, which in turn ensures greater better benefits for members. Boards of management of retirement funds are required to secure benefits for their members. They are required to secure the assets of the fund, whilst maximising investment returns within acceptable levels of risk. The empirical study of this research was limited to the twenty largest self-administered retirement funds in South Africa, according to asset values in 1998. A questionnaire was sent to these twenty funds to establish their views relating to important aspects regarding the investment of funds. The data used in the empirical research was based on the Annual Reports of the Registrar of Pension Funds, analysis of actuaries and administrators, information from annual financial statements, the investment strategies of the twenty largest self-administered retirement funds and related market indexes. The twenty largest self-administered retirement funds managed to beat the related market indexes for the period under review. The 25% tax rate paid on net rental income and gross interest, had a negative effect on the cash flow of retirement funds. During the period under review, the rate of return for the twenty largest self-administered retirement funds beat the consumer price index on a yearly basis. This shows that boards of management managed to counter the effect of inflation on the investment performance of retirement funds and on the purchasing powers of pensions related thereto. The analyses of the investment portfolio clearly indicated that investment limits do not have an effect on the composition of the assets of retirement funds as retirement funds complied to the investment limits without difficulty. A uniform approach can, however, not be implemented for the investment strategy of defined contribution funds. One of the objects of the board of management is to ensure that the interest of its members is protected at all times. An investment strategy which satisfies the needs of the members should be designed to suit each specific retirement fund. / Dissertation (MCom (Financial Management))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Financial Management / unrestricted

published_or_final_version / Urban Studies / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Thesis (Ph.D.)--McMaster University, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 262-265). Also available via World Wide Web.

"Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School, June 2009." / Advisor(s): Henderson, David R. ; Eitelberg, Mark J. "June 2009." "MBA professional report"--Cover. Description based on title screen as viewed on July 14, 2009. Author(s) subject terms: Military Retirement, Retirement Information Sources, Retirement Information Systems, General Military Training, Military Compensation, Defined Benefit Plan, Defined Contribution Plan, Military Pension, Military Retirement Fund, and Military Retirement Communication Modes. Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-74). Also available in print.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration