By Yu Lu, China Center for International Knowledge on Development

Research Report, Special Issue, No.83, 2019 (Total 1711)

2019-10-24

Abstract: The French pension insurance system consists of compulsory basic pension insurance, compulsory supplementary pension insurance and voluntary supplementary pension insurance, which are characterized by the pay-as-you-go financing mode and decentralized management with a high level of insurance. This system has gone through an expansion period in the former 30 years and an adjustment period in the latter 40 years. Since taking office, President Macron has launched a new round of reforms. The evaluation results by relevant professional consulting agencies show that the pension insurance system in France has a high level of protection for the elderly, and the level of which will gradually decrease in the long term; the rules and regulations applied to different groups may vary, but the calculation and payment of insurance pension are fair across the board. Although the pension burden is heavy for the government at present, the long-term financial performance will take a turn for the better. China could draw on some enlightenments from the evolution of French pension insurance system in the following aspects. First, a variety of protection methods is adopted to provide insurance to all residents entitled to receiving the pension. Second, the relevant government departments need to carefully determine the public pension benefits in the initial stage when the system was first implemented. Third, a reasonable long-term pension adjustment mechanism needs to be established, so as to gradually extend the retirement age and the minimum contribution period for receiving full pensions. Attention also needs to be paid to encouraging childbirth through institutional arrangements and improving labor productivity so as to further enhance pension industry.

Key words: France, pension insurance, pay-as-you-go system