Increasing pension age — inevitable or unfeasible? Analysing the ideas underlying experts' arguments in the UK and Germany

Abstract

Based on interviews with German and British experts from major political parties, government departments, employer confederations, trade unions and special interest organisations, we investigate the chains of arguments that these experts advance in favour of or against increases in state pension age. In this way, we add to the explanation why very similar reforms could be enforced in the very different pension systems of Germany and the UK. The chains of arguments deployed are surprisingly similar between the two countries: Whereas the proponents of reform stress its necessity in the context of pension spending and see older people as being able to work longer, opponents and sceptics of the increase doubt most older people's ability to work longer and thus the feasibility of the reform. The proponents prioritise ideas of intergenerational justice and meritocratic justice based on individual performance, and underline pension-related interest oppositions between age groups and cohorts. By contrast, opponents and sceptics tend to focus on needs-based justice and social inequalities within age groups. Concomitantly, the actors have different ideas on how a flexible transition to retirement could be organised, with country differences being more pronounced here.