A Need for Reform
Russia’s Pension System
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Pensions play a key role for the social situation in Russia. Directly or indirectly, half of all households draw pension payments. Moreover, pensions were increased significantly in recent years. At the same time, the pension system is in a precarious situation. There are major shortfalls every year, which must be offset by subsidies from the state budget. This makes society dependent on the state and the pension system as a whole vulnerable to fluctuations in the budget, which for its part depends on the highly volatile oil prices on international commodity markets. For Russia, the creation of a self-sustaining system of social security is therefore a key modernisation project.
(Osteuropa 6-8/2012, pp. 343–362)