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Alvaro Forteza

Universidad de la República, Uruguay

I think that IZA World of Labor is an excellent initiative that helps to reduce the gap between the academia, policymakers and the public

IZA World of Labor role

Author

Current position

Professor of Economics, Universidad de la República, Uruguay

Research interest

Development economics, political economy, social protection

Website

https://cienciassociales.edu.uy/departamento-de-economia/equipo-docente/alvaro-forteza/

Positions/functions as a policy advisor

Consultant to the World Bank

Qualifications

PhD Economics, University of Gothenburg, 1996

Selected publications

  • “Social security and retirement in Uruguay.” Journal of Development Studies 51:4 (2014): 386–406 (with G. Sanroman).

  • “Assessing redistribution within social insurance systems: The cases of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay.” In: Frölich, M., D. Kaplan, C. Pagés, J. Rigolini, and D. Robalino (eds). Social Insurance, Informality, and Labor Markets. How to Protect Workers While Creating Good Jobs 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014; pp. 241–267.

  • “Redistribution, insurance and incentives to work in Latin-American pension programs.” Journal of Pension Economics and Finance 11:3 (2012): 337–364 (with G. Ourens).

  • “Assessing redistribution in the Uruguayan social security system.” Journal of Income Distribution 21:1 (2012): 65–87 (with I. Mussio).

  • “Contributions to social security in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay: Densities, transitions and duration.” Económica 57 (2011): 127–163 (with I. Apella, E. Fajnzylber, C. Grushka, I. Rossi, and G. Sanromán).

article(s)

  • Are social security programs progressive?

    Whether social security programs reduce inequality is not related to the amount they redistribute

    Alvaro Forteza, July 2015
    Social security programs generally seek to provide insurance and to reduce poverty and inequality. Providing insurance requires little redistribution. But reducing inequality and alleviating poverty do require redistribution. To reduce inequality, programs must redistribute income, but redistributing income is not the same as reducing inequality. While some programs redistribute large amounts of income without noticeably reducing inequality, others reduce inequality with less redistribution and fewer labor market distortions. A non-contributory tier, which provides benefits without requiring contributions, is a key component for reducing inequality.
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