1. Home
  2. Studies
  3. Pensions for the Self-employed in Germany
Judith Niehues / Jochen Pimpertz IW-Trends No. 3 25. September 2012 Pensions for the Self-employed in Germany
Download PDF
Pensions for the Self-employed in Germany
Judith Niehues / Jochen Pimpertz IW-Trends No. 3 25. September 2012

Pensions for the Self-employed in Germany

Download PDF

Share this article:

or copy the following link:

The link was added to your clipboard!

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

A mandatory pension scheme is intended as a precaution against the risk of old age poverty assumed to particularly affect solo entrepreneurs. However, an empirical analysis reveals that for the self-employed the risk of impoverishment either during their working life or in retirement is not limited to those without employees. Moreover, failure to take account of both the accumulated assets and the household situation of the self-employed often leads to an overestimation of their exposure. Whilst it is possible to identify above-average risks affecting sole proprietors with few or no employees, such risks are concentrated in a limited number of occupations. Furthermore, self-employed people with low earnings are likely to adapt their behaviour in response to any mandatory pension scheme. How successful such a measure can be in combating the threat of old age poverty without taking this into account is open to question.

Download | PDF

Download PDF
Pensions for the Self-employed in Germany
Judith Niehues / Jochen Pimpertz IW-Trends No. 3 25. September 2012

Pensions for the Self-employed in Germany

Download PDF

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

Share this article:

or copy the following link:

The link was added to your clipboard!

More on the topic

Read the article
Acceptance of Parliamentary Procedures in the Light of Individual Problem Perception
Matthias Diermeier / Judith Niehues IW-Trends No. 3 15. September 2021

Acceptance of Parliamentary Procedures in the Light of Individual Problem Perception

A lively democracy thrives on the struggle between different interest groups for majority opinion on specific issues. Though the institutionalised process of balancing interests and hearing opposing points of view takes time, acceptance of these parliamentary ...

IW

Read the article
Mariano Calderón / Judith Niehues / Maximilian Stockhausen IW-Trends No. 3 24. August 2020

How is Prosperity Distributed in Germany?

Distributional analyses often focus on either income or wealth. However, a comprehensive picture of the material well-being of a nation’s households can only be obtained by considering both variables together.

IW

Content element with id 8880 Content element with id 9713