Social Security Regime Research Articles

A Ouvidoria como Manifestação da Transparência Passiva nos Regimes Próprios de Previdência dos Municípios Fluminenses

We identify how the Special Social Security Regime (RPPS) Ombudsman of municipalities of Rio de Janeiro State falls under the level I certification of the RPPS Pro-Management Program, in the indicator related to the Ombudsman; a tool to promote the democratic participation of citizens through passive transparency. The relevance of this study stems from the fact that the RPPS are in charge of managing a substantial number of resources, having managed around 157 billion Reais in investments for their respective insureds in 2020 (SPREV, 2021). Through documental analysis performed on the websites of the Rio de Janeiro RPPS and their respective federative entities, we concluded that among the 92 municipalities in the State, only 79 have RPPS. Furthermore, 54.4% of municipalities have a communication channel in the RPPS, while 43.1% have it available through the Federal Entity to which they are linked, and 2.5% have no such communication channel. Thus, we state that most RPPS has given due importance to the RPPS Pro-Management Manual, specifically regarding the accomplishment of the goal of providing more transparency to the relationship between the insured and society.

Applying multi-criteria decision analysis in the bidding process of an own social security regime institute

Public administration is responsible for managing public resources and offering various types of services to the population. Therefore, to ensure that the maintenance of state bodies is carried out in a responsible manner, both for the acquisition of goods and for the contracting of services, it is necessary to carry out bidding processes that follow constitutional principles. In this way, the use of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methods can help decision makers to solve selection problems in public institutions. In this context, the objective of this paper is to select, from a pre-defined list of ten alternatives, the three cars considered most suitable to meet the needs of an Own Social Security Regime Institute, allowing the opening of a bidding process more reliable. To carry out this selection, three MCDA methods were used to aid the choice: Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP), PROMETHEE II and Weighted Sum Method (WSM). The results demonstrated that the three methods applied together managed to select the three best cars for carrying out the bidding process and that the use of these tools has great potential for the area of public management.

Old Age Poverty

Despite having over 500 000 pensioners, Zimbabwe is far from guaranteeing its elderly an effective social security system. The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) – is embroiled in numerous cases of corruption. Similar criticisms have also been levelled against personal pension schemes with the living potential of pensioners in Zimbabwe (who receive in some cases less than US$1 monthly), continuing to deteriorate. In contributing new data to the understudied phenomenon of the old age pensions industry in Zimbabwe, this study interviewed a purposively drawn sample of bureaucrats from NSSA and pensioners in three provinces. Profound challenges in decommodification – attributes of a zero accountability status quo and a tokenistic, non-transformative old age social security regime were noted with numerous recommendations being proffered. Old age pension administrators failure to define and maintain measurable social indicators was argued in the study as partly contributing to their inability to ensure compliance to their primary mandate of providing a social security net for pension contributors.

Perceived access to general and mental healthcare in primary care in Colombia during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study.

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact both in general and mental healthcare, challenged the health systems worldwide, and affected their capacity to deliver essential health services. We aimed to describe perceived changes in ease of access to general and mental healthcare among patients with a diagnosis of depression and/or unhealthy alcohol use in Colombia.MethodsThis study is embedded in the DIADA project, a multicenter implementation research study aimed at evaluating the integration of mental healthcare in primary care in Colombia. Between November 2020 and August 2021, we conducted a COVID-19 pandemic impact assessment in a cohort of participants with newly diagnosed depression and/or unhealthy alcohol use part of DIADA project. We assessed the ease of access and factors related to perceived ease of access to general or mental healthcare, during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results836 participants completed the COVID-19 pandemic impact assessment. About 30% of participants considered their mental health to be worse during the pandemic and 84.3% perceived access to general healthcare to be worse during the pandemic. Most of participants (85.8%) were unable to assess access to mental health services, but a significant proportion considered it to be worse. Experiencing worse ease of access to general healthcare was more frequent among women, patients with diagnosis of depression, and patients with comorbidities. Experiencing worse ease of access to mental healthcare was more frequent among patients aged between 30 and 49.9 years, from socioeconomic status between 4 and 6, affiliated to the contributive social security regime, attending urban study sites, and those who perceived their mental health was worse during the pandemic.DiscussionDespite the overall perception of worse mental health during the pandemic, the use of mental healthcare was low compared to general healthcare. Ease of access was perceived to be worse compared to pre-pandemic. Ease of access and access were affected by geographical study site, socioeconomic status, age and gender. Our findings highlight the need for improved communication between patients and institutions, tailored strategies to adapt the healthcare provision to patients' characteristics, and continued efforts to strengthen the role of mental healthcare provision in primary care.

Decentralised growth: have central fiscal transfers changed the landscape of the Chinese social security regime?

ABSTRACT China’s social security expenditure has increased more than twentyfold since 2000. Most studies attribute the increase to local governments, which are responsible for most social expenditure, but some research emphasizes the role of central fiscal transfers. Using provincial-level panel data spanning 2000 to 2017, we find that special transfers significantly stimulate both social assistance expenditure and social insurance expenditure and that general transfers significantly encourage social insurance expenditure. Disparities among social assistance and insurance expenditure across provinces remain largely unchanged. It reveals that central state’s fiscal capacity plays a major role in the expansion of a decentralized social security regime.

Diferenciais de mortalidade, beneficiários do Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social do Brasil em 2015

ABSTRACT This paper aims to estimate mortality and analyze its differentials by sex, age, and groups of beneficiaries of the Brazilian National Institute of Social Security (INSS) in 2015 and make comparisons with official estimates for the general population, assessing the distribution of deaths by age and of survival after 65 years old. The results reinforce the need for more studies on mortality differentials between beneficiary groups and for continuous investment to improve the quality of the data. Population aging, among other aspects, puts pressure on the Brazilian social security system, and there is real concern about its sustainability. Life tables by population subgroups are fundamental as a tool for analyzing the financial and actuarial equilibrium of the system. The results contribute to the debate on the mortality differentials between groups of beneficiaries of the general pension and social security system in Brazil. The death and population data derive from the administrative records of the INSS. We used Gompertz and Van de Maen models and Topals regression to estimate the mortality rates above the age of 65, according to the following beneficiary groups: retirees through age of the General Social Security Regime (Regime Geral de Previdência Social - RGPS) - disaggregated by urban and rural clienteles; retirees through period of contribution; and beneficiaries of welfare support for low income seniors. Among the main results, it was possible to minimize the crossover in the mortality rates of older ages, when the mortality of the less advantaged population becomes lower than the mortality of populations with better social indicators. Cross-checking the results with the official mortality estimates, it was observed that life expectancies for the 65 and 75 year old age groups of the target population of this study are higher than in the general population.

Caregivers and oral health of preschool children: the importance of knowledge on oral health in caregivers at community homes

ABSTRACT Community parents as caregivers of preschoolers are a crucial factor in promoting general and oral health habits. The objective of this study was to determine the oral health knowledge of community parents working as caregivers in family welfare homes and explore their relationship with the oral health of preschoolers under their care. A non-experimental (cross-sectional) study was conducted, which analyzed the 2009–2012 Valle del Cauca’s oral health database. This database contains a survey of 250 community mothers from 40 municipalities who cared for 7221 preschoolers. A total of 982 clinical records of preschoolers were analyzed. The average age of the mothers was 41.4 years (± 10); 18% had university training. The average age of preschoolers who had been clinically evaluated was 3.5 (± 0.6); 52% were affiliated to the contributory and special Colombian social security regime, and 36.6% were poor populations affiliated to the subsidized regime. Assessment of the oral-health-related knowledge of caregivers revealed that 22.8% had good oral health knowledge. 18.4% reported consumption patterns related to a high-risk cariogenic diet. The prevalence of decay in preschoolers was 45.6%. This study found that children had better oral health conditions in community homes where caregivers presented better oral health knowledge. This reinforces the hypothesis that the greater the knowledge from caregivers on the topic, the lower the prevalence of pathologies such as caries and gingivitis in preschoolers under their care.

Which social security regime for platform workers in Italy?

AbstractThis article highlights the debate on social security regimes applicable to platform workers in Italy. As social security regimes differ according to the type of employment or self‐employment relationship, Italian case law dealing with platform workers’ employment status will be illustrated. Italian legislation, case law and collective bargaining on health and safety at work will then be presented, clarifying the coverage to which platform workers are entitled in the event of accidents at work and occupational diseases, with a focus on the COVID‐19 pandemic impact. In turn, the two main Italian minimum income schemes and the related scholarly debate will be outlined, as well as their impact on the ability of digital labour platforms to avoid their responsibilities as regards workers’ rights, including access to adequate social protection.

Social protection and the platform economy: The anomalous approach of the French legislator

AbstractAddressing the social protection of platform workers, the French legislator in 2016 and then in 2019 made moves to incorporate these workers into the general social security regime with regard to certain covered risks (work injury and occupational diseases), and to improve adequacy (enabling possible access to complementary coverage). However, these moves rest on radically opposed perspectives. Rather than reasserting the legal responsibility of the employer vis‐à‐vis workers’ health and safety, we see responsibility placed with the platform, but only on a voluntary basis under the aegis of corporate social responsibility. This risks fragmenting social benefits, to be determined by each platform, thus weakening the practices of mutual protection and risk pooling among enterprises and workers that lie at the heart of social security. In doing so, the legislator has broken the link that had as its historic objective the goal of social inclusion and has encouraged in different ways the privatization, or a re‐commodification, of social security in the commercial interest of private insurance companies. Moreover, this has been done using the Trojan Horse of the French labour code. This approach is in contrast to the converging position of international organizations, such as the European Union, International Labour Organization or the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development, recommending that States establish a right to social protection for all atypical workers and non‐salaried workers. Instead of identifying the common challenges that face workers who work for platforms, and offering responses specific to their situation, rather, it considers platform work as one of the new forms of atypical work undertaken by those who may have the status of employee or self‐employed.

Assessment of the new investment limits for assets of Social Security Regimes for Public Servants established by Resolution CMN 3,922/2010

Purpose – To verify if the new investment limits for the Social Security Regimes for Public Servants (RPPSs) introduced by Resolution CMN 3,922/2010 enable the creation of investment portfolios with sufficient returns capable of reaching and exceeding these entities’ actuarial goals. Theoretical framework – The research was based on Modern Actuarial Risk Theory, whose main objective is to assess the long-term (in)solvency of insurance and social security entities. Design/methodology/approach – An ALM model of non-linear stochastic optimization with mean-CVaR was used to build the efficient frontiers related to each type of governance level defined by the legislation. Then, it was verified whether these portfolios are sufficiently capable of offering the required and expected returns. Findings – The results show that only governance levels III and IV would be able to build portfolios with the expected returns capable of reaching the actuarial goal. However, this was only possible at the maximum risk limit of the efficient frontier. Research Practical & Social implications – There is evidence of the need for the competent authorities to review the parameters of the investment limits, since adjustments to the RPPS investment legislation can bring social benefits, as they would avoid problematic situations of RPPS actuarial deficits that could put them at risk of not providing benefits to retirees. Originality/value – This article is a pioneer in assessing the (in)adequacy of the normative allocation limits for RPPS guarantee assets, using an asset-only nonlinear optimization methodology. Keywords – ALM Models; Social Security Regimes for Public Servants; Actuarial Goals; Actuarial Models; Investment Policies.

Defined Contribution Funded Social Security and Labor Supply: Focus on Mexican Social Security Reform in 1997

Countries adopting a defined benefit pay-as-you-go (DB PAYG) regime have two options to solve the issue of financial unsustainability: (1) a parametric reform, which alters policies within DB PAYG regime, and (2) a structural reform, which changes the regime from DB PAYG to a defined contribution funded (DC) system. In this study, focusing on the structural reform of Mexico in 1997, I investigate whether structural social security reform affects labor supply. The findings suggest that the change in the social security regime increased both labor force participation and work hours per week. However, in the case of the elderly, the intensive margin effect on labor supply was not statistically significant.

What is life like for our elderly? An empirical study of the quality of life of older people in Colombia

Life expectancy has increased considerably over the last 50 years; and population pyramids have inverted as the number of older people has grown. This study analyses the quality of life enjoyed by older people in nine of Colombia’s regions or departments, as rated in four categories: “Very good”, “Good”, “Fair” or “Poor”. It estimates an ordered multinomial logistic model using 20,720 observations taken from the 2018 National Quality of Life Survey, which altogether represent 3,914,448 individuals. The results suggest that the average probability of having a quality of life rated good is 80.2%, with variations between geographical areas and differences that are associated positively with being a woman, belonging to medium and high socioeconomic groups, not missing daily meals, having a home of one’s own home, not being affiliated to the subsidized social security regime and not feeling insecure or poor, among other factors.

Protecting Livelihoods in the COVID-19 Crisis: Legal Comparison of Measures to Maintain Employment, the Economy and Social Protection. Updated Version

The present study describes, categorises and analyses welfare states’ reactions to the COVID-19 crisis in order to secure economically endangered livelihoods in five European countries with varying welfare systems (Denmark, England, France, Germany and Italy). It reflects the situation as of the beginning of November 2020, a time in which a second wave of the coronavirus has hit Europe and, in response, new measures are either being planned or have already been put in place. The focus rests on measures aimed at job retention, maintaining economic activity, as well as at providing and facilitating access to social protection. These were investigated with a view to their relation to existing social security regimes and to the changes they effected in this regard. The pandemic-specific measures, which are all characterised by their multitude and rapid changeability, allow to draw conclusions about the distribution of individual, societal and state responsibilities not only in times of crisis. Finally, the findings point to deficits in the design and coordination of social protection schemes and thus provide impulses for a new discussion of fundamental questions of the welfare state once the crisis has been overcome.

SOCIAL SECURITY FOR MIGRANT WORKERS IN THE BRICS COUNTRIES

The study of current practices in the legal regulation of social and labour relations in the BRICS countries indicates the need to ensure equal treatment of migrant workers with national workers. Discriminatory barriers to migrant workers accessing social security systems contained in the legislation of receiving countries (the legal status of the migrant, duration of stay and other). The legislation of the country of origin of migrant workers also excludes them from the social security systems. Foreign nationals, residing temporarily in Russia, are subject to compulsory pension insurance. The payment of insurance contributions allows establishing a certain amount of pension rights. However, they often do not acquire the right to insurance, since the insurance pension is granted only to foreign nationals permanently resident in Russia. Basic old-age insurance, basic medical insurance, work injury insurance, unemployment insurance, and maternity insurance extend to foreigners legally working in China. In Brazil, foreign workers are insured under the General Social Security Regime. However, it establishes progressive premium rates. In India, international employees are required to be registered as members of the Employees’ Provident Fund and to contribute to it. Foreign nationals, who have entered South Africa to work under a contract of employment and who have been forced to leave the Republic, are not covered by the social security. It is therefore essential to design and implement policies that will strengthen the sustainability of the social security system and eliminate discriminatory norms between labor migrants and national workers.

Sorting yourself out of the system: everyday processes of elusive social sorting in Australia’s disability social security regime for Indigenous Australians

The Disability Support Pension (DSP), the primary social security payment for Australians living with disability, has undergone considerable reform since the early 2000s. Limited research has examined the impact of such reforms on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians living with disability. This article pays particular attention to the experiences of Indigenous Australians applying for the DSP, with a strong focus on reforms since 2015 as these modifications have been arguably the most rigorous changes to the assessment process and eligibility criteria. The article illustrates the challenges that Indigenous Australians with disability experience in applying for the disability pension under the new process and the supports they require in submitting their application. The article draws on sociological theories of social sorting identified for the disability category by Grover and Piggott and examines the application and implications within the Australian context of such processes for Indigenous Australians living with disability.

(IN) contributory justice in the general social security regime: RGPS from the point of view of actuarial science from the point of view of income and the actuarial social security factor

Issues related to public social security have generated widedebate between society and government. The average citizen cares about the fair measure between what he pays in the present and how much he will receive from retirement in the future. In view of this, this article aims to define according to the foundations of actuarial science, the fair measure between the value of contributions (payments) and the value of benefits (retirement) managed by the General Social Security Regime – RGPS as a tool of social (in)justice. The methodology used to obtain all parameters relevant to the RGPS as well as to the actuarial social security regime was the creation of situations involving men and women under specific conditions of entry into the social security system of initial age, retirement age and contribution salary and from these input data, the values of contribution and benefits were calculated through the Matlab program , where calculations were operationalized as a calculation routine. The results were segmented by gender (male or female) and income range, it was observed that social security contribution rate, the most important parameter to define the value of contributions to the RGPS, from 28% to 31% is very high in comparison with the rate calculated by actuarial science of 16% to 17% for men and 13% to 14% for women. It is concluded that for the ordinary citizen subject to the rules of the RGPS in force, the amounts of the contributions paid that reflect the retirement benefits received differ from the fair measure, calculated by actuarial science, therefore, it was not observed factors that attest that the RGPS is fair to the taxpayer and therefore to society.

Uma proposta de inovação no processo de auditoria dos regimes próprios de previdência social pelos tribunais de contas

Este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar uma proposta de inovação no controle externo dos regimes próprios de previdência social municipais, uma vez que a fiscalização de todos os tribunais de contas sobre esses entes previdenciários se restringe a uma verificação cartorial (principalmente das certidões de regularidade previdenciária, emitidas pelo Ministério da Previdência e Assistência Social, e a análise contábil dos elementos contidos nas prestações de contas anuais). A proposta, por metodologia específica (expressões de cálculos atuariais, tabelas biométricas e premissas atuariais geralmente aceitas) tem como base os registros de idade, sexo, data de nascimento, data de ingresso no serviço público e valor de vencimentos mensais a serem encaminhados aos tribunais objetivando a elaboração das demonstrações atuariais: Demonstrativo do Resultado da Avaliação Atuarial, Fluxo de Caixa Atuarial, Nota Técnica Atuarial e Balanço Atuarial apurando o resultado atuarial e, em caso de deficit, apontar a forma de provisionamento (amortização), visando o seu equilíbrio atuarial e confrontá-los com demonstrativos contratados e emitidos pelos regimes próprios de previdência social (RPPS), uma vez que, segundo Da Silva, a apuração dos resultados atuariais não traduz a realidade atuarial. Os demonstrativos retro mencionados poderão ser encaminhados aos gestores dos regimes próprios de previdências sociais como relatórios gerenciais para que eles tenham uma diretriz dos seus resultados: custo atuarial, apuração do resultado atuarial e a forma de amortização dos resultados deficitários.

La exclusión de la mujer campesina de dos regímenes de seguridad social: el Seguro Social Campesino y la Ley de Justicia Laboral

Las mujeres campesinas en Ecuador pertenecen a un grupo desaventajado al cual no se le garantizan todos los benefcios de un derecho tan básico como la seguridad social. El presente artículo analiza cómo la mujer campesina se encuentra en una delgada línea entre dos distintos regímenes especiales de seguridad social —el Seguro Social Campesino y aquel consagrado en la Ley Orgánica de Justicia Laboral y Reconocimiento del Trabajo del Hogar—, sin que ninguno de ellos otorgue benefcios completos, violando su derecho constitucional al acceso a la seguridad social. Se evidencia cómo en la mujer campesina confuyen dos formas de identidad —la de mujer y la de campesina— que la ponen en desventaja frente a otras mujeres y a la población ecuatoriana en general, y cómo desde la ley se incurre en discriminación. Se plantean posibles reformas a los dos regímenes mencionados y se analiza la problemática desde los ojos de la interseccionalidad.

Global–regional interaction to extend access to social protection for migrant workers: Insights from ASEAN and MERCOSUR

AbstractUniversal access to social protection for migrant workers is emerging as a problematic issue in the implementation of free movement regimes at a regional level. This article focuses on the concept of regional governance as a possible mechanism to address the unsolved challenges of social security regimes to extend coverage. To this end, the article looks at current legal developments in two regional projects (ASEAN and MERCOSUR) to identify a creative approach to strengthen the development of national floors of social protection. The interest of using these case studies lies in exploring whether the regional integration process can play a major role in the progressive extension of social protection rights to migrant workers by facilitating the adoption of social security agreements.

Work Integration Social Enterprises in Switzerland

AbstractThe article aims to present the Swiss landscape of work integration social enterprises (WISEs). The origins of SEs are rooted within three distinct social security regimes, i. e. disability insurance, unemployment insurance and social assistance. The debate around SE has a longer tradition in the French-speaking part of the country, while it seems more recent in the German-speaking area. The literature review presented in this article allowed for identifying at least five definitions of the WISE model emerging from Swiss civil society. The heterogeneity of their normative elements reflects different conceptions about the positioning of SE in the market, its resources mix, the integration goals and the wage models for the disadvantaged workers. This article draws on a recent empirical survey from which some key-figures concerning the size of the WISE sector have been estimated. Descriptive statistics on legal forms, profit allocation, target-groups, integration goals, remuneration models, economic sectors and the competitive nature of WISEs are provided. By means of a cluster analysis, four models of SE have been identified. The article concludes with a discussion of some of the major issues around the future development of the sector.