Projects
The pension rights of intra-EU migrant workers
Project contributors: Bridgen P, Meyer T, Barbulescu R,
This Project is part of the following research programme/s:
Overview
When the European Economic Community was founded in 1957, its purpose was a peaceful and stable Europe, and the creation of a common market was considered to be central to achieving this aim. Mobile citizens were constituents of this common market from the start, and to enable mobility, the Community pledged to remove obstacles workers might face. This was the theory. In practice, it took a long time until more specific rights were introduced, and until today, mobile workers might well be penalised for moving between countries.
This project explores the mobility of social rights in Europe from the perspective of pensions, among the most significant and long-lasting for citizens. In order not to be disadvantaged in comparison with an immobile employee, a mobile worker needs to be able to preserve their pension rights, otherwise citizens who move risk losing their benefits and could face poverty in retirement. It is therefore important to know how the broad guarantees given by the European Communities in 1957 (EC)look from this more detailed perspective.
Empirically the research analyses the institutional arrangements in place to preserve migrants pension rights, and how these vary, especially for non-sate pensions, between the various EU member states. It also uses secondary data analysis to determine the impact of different migrant trajectories on migrants' income on retirement and, on this basis, assesses the relative feasibility of return and permanent migration. The project's focus in on the EU countries which have been most involved in intra-EU migration over the last 20 years ie Poland, Romania, Italy, UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.
Publications & Activities
How Restricting Intra-EU Migrants' Social Rights Could Reduce Their Economic Contribution: The Case of the UK
25th International Conference of Europeanists (2018). (Chicago, IL, USA)
Authors: Bridgen P,
Democracies, Economies and Social Protection: Understanding Welfare State Development in Asia and Europe
Workshop on East Asian Welfare States in the Era of Globalisation and Regionalisation: Institutional Continuities and Changes (2017). (Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan.)
Authors: Meyer T,
Keynote: Changing Labour Markets and Old-age Security
Changing Labour Markets, Life-course and Pensions Conference 2017 (2017). (Finnish Centre for Pensions, Helsinki)
Authors: Meyer T,
Bridgen P, (2016) Chapter 4 - Europäische rentenpolitik in zeiten der wirtschaftskrise. Was junge beschäftigte heute (noch) von der rente erwarten können in MetallRente Studie 2016: Jugend, Vorsorge, Finanzen. Zwischen Eigenverantwortung und Regulierung – Lösungsansätze in Deutschland und Europa
Beltz Juventa
Meyer T, (2016) Chapter 8 - Die Rückkehr des Staates im Rentensystem Grossbritanniens in MetallRente Studie 2016: Jugend, Vorsorge, Finanzen. Zwischen Eigenverantwortung und Regulierung – Lösungsansätze in Deutschland und Europa
Beltz Juventa
Meyer T, (2016) Gelungene Rentenreformen sind m?glich in MetallRente Studie 2016, Kurzfassung: Jugend, Vorsorge, Finanzen. Zwischen Eigenverantwortung und Regulierung – Lösungsansätze in Deutschland und Europa
Beltz Juventa, 20.
Protection of the low waged in Germany's pension system. A European comparison
Berliner Kolloquien Soziale Marktwirtschaft (Berlin Social Market Economy Colloquia) (2016). (Bertelsmann Foundation, Berlin)
Authors: Meyer T,
Divided citizenship: the financial situation of intra-EU migrants who retire in their host country
2016 SPA Annual Conference (2016). (Belfast Metropolitan College, Titanic Quarter, Belfast)
Authors: Bridgen P,
Comparing EU Migrants' Social Rights in Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK
23rd International Conference of Europeanists (2016). (Philadelphia)
Authors: Bridgen P, Barbulescu R, Meyer T,
Beveridge not Bismarck! European lessons for men's and women's pensions in Germany
Chinese Public Policy Review (2015). 1-29
Authors: Meyer T,
Democracies, Economies and Social Protection
Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia (2015).
Authors: Meyer T,
Architecture of a sustainable future system of retirement
Annual Conference of the Association of Occupational Pensions (2015). (Hotel Maritime Berlin)
Authors: Meyer T,
Will Current Intra-EU Migrants Return Home on Retirement? Evidence from the Experience of Earlier Waves of Migrants from Southern to Northern Europe
2015 CES Conference (2015). (Paris)
Authors: Bridgen P, Meyer T,
The Unexpected Rise of the State in Liberal Pension Systems
The Evolution of Social Protection: China and Europe compared (2015). (University of Southampton)
Authors: Bridgen P,
Beveridge not Bismarck! European lessons for men's and women's pensions in Germany
Friedrich Ebert Foundation (2014).
Authors: Meyer T,
Free Movement? The impact of migration on the pensions of European migrants.
Social Policy Conference (2014). (Xiamen University, China)
Authors: Meyer T,
Pension systems and pension reform in Europe. International lessons?
Invited Seminar (2014). (Beijing Technology and Business University)
Authors: Meyer T,
Reforming public pensions in times of demographic change – policy recommendations
Financing Public Pension Systems in Times of Demographic Change: increase of retirement age as panacea? (2014). (Fudan University, Shanghai)
Authors: Meyer T,
Pension systems and pension reform in Europe. International lessons?
Invited Seminar (2014). (Remnin University)
Authors: Meyer T,
The financial pull of home: Intra-EU migration, pension regimes and the feasibility of staying put on retirement
Pensions Workshop - Pensions Research Network (2014). (Westminster Business School, University of Westminster)
Authors: Bridgen P,
The financial pull of home – Do EU migrants have to return to avoid poverty in retirement?
IMISCOE Annual Conference on Immigration (2014). (Madrid)
Authors: Meyer T,
The third pillar in pensions – do we need a re-appraisal after the financial crisis?
Annual meeting of the Society of social Progress (2014). (Germany)
Authors: Meyer T,
Media
Changing Labour Markets 19.5.2017 - Interview with Traute Meyer Finnish Centre for Pensions. 2017
Video interview with Traute Meyer, posted on YouTube by the Finnish Centre for Pensions.
Labour market situation of the young raises concern at research conference Finnish Centre for Pensions. 2017
Article titled Labour market situation of the young raises concern at research conference, posted by the Finnish Centre for Pensions, mentions Traute Meyer.
Fight for the pension: choose me; I give the most! ARD Channel (German equivalent of BBC1). 2016
Traute Meyer's comments are summarised in an article titled "Fight for the pension: choose me, I give the most!" which discusses the week's "hart aber fair" (harsh but fair) programme on the ARD channel (German equivalent of BBC1). Her comments were regarding to the claims of politicians who took part in a heated panel discussion about the current German pension reform .
Jugend; Vorsorge; Finanzen 2016 MetallRente website. 2016
Traute Meyer was interviewed in a blog written by Heribert Karch on metallrente.online with regards to her input into the book "Jugend, Vorsorge, Finanzen 2016." This was published on 23rd June 2016.
Austria's Social Democrats are particularly conservative Neue Zürcher Zeitung. 2016
Web article on Austrian broadsheet Neue Zürcher Zeitung quoting research on pensions, "Österreichs Sozialdemokraten sind besonders konservativ " (Austria's Social Democrats are particularly conservative)
Citizenship; freedom of movement within EU; welfare and the tensions between them
CPC researcher Roxana Barbulescu was interviewed on the Roger Phillips show on BBC Radio Merseyside about the findings of her research on the project on citizenship, freedom of movement within EU, welfare and the tensions between them.
German pension reforms
TV interview: Traute Meyer and Heribert Karch of MetallRente in a discussion about the social impact of German pension reforms and what options there are for trade unions and employers.
German pension reforms and lessons from Europe ZDF. 2014
Interview in Programme on German pension reforms and lessons from Europe on the ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen), Frontal 21, on 10.6.2014
German pension reforms and lessons from Europe
Video of an interview with Traute Meyer in a programme on German pension reforms and lessons from Europe on the ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen) programme "Frontal 2 1"
Gender implications of German pension reforms
Comment on gender implications of German pension reforms in Frauenrat 4/2014
German pension reform Taz.de website. 2014
Comment in the tageszeitung on German pension reform and its impact.
Ab in die Altersarmut
"Ab in die Altersarmut": Article on www.taz.de commenting on the tagezeitung on German pension reform and its impact. Written by Traute Meyer
