Pensions, Social Security and the Privatization of Risk

Thirty years of policies favoring private industry and the privatization of shared risks have rewritten the economic rules of the road for all Americans and complicated the task of planning for retirement. On March 27, the Brookings Institution and the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) hosted a forum exploring the effects of privatization on pension security and the ability of Americans to plan for old age.

The event marked the release of Pensions, Social Security, and the Privatization of Risk, the third volume in the Privatization of Risk book series (SSRC and Columbia University Press, 2009). Jeff Madrick, director of Policy Research at the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis at the New School for Social Research, moderated a panel discussion with Mitchell Orenstein of Johns Hopkins University, Gary Burtless of the Brookings Institution, Teresa Ghilarducci of the New School for Social Research, and Dallas Salisbury, president and CEO of the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Gary Burtless and Teresa Ghilarducci.		Jeff Madrick giving opening remarks.