The Capital Pillar of Poland’s Pension System: From Open Pension Funds (OFE) to Employee Capital Plans (PPK) Cover Image

Filar kapitałowy w polskim systemie emerytalnym. Od OFE do PPK
The Capital Pillar of Poland’s Pension System: From Open Pension Funds (OFE) to Employee Capital Plans (PPK)

Author(s): Barbara Błaszczyk
Subject(s): National Economy, Public Finances
Published by: Szkoła Główna Handlowa w Warszawie
Keywords: pension system; public pensions regulation; private pension saving plans; employee pension funds; Employee Capital Plans

Summary/Abstract: Poland’s new Employee Capital Plans (PPK) started to be implemented in July 2019. This article looks at the systemic solutions applied in the programme from the perspective of the concept of the simultaneous reconstruction of the retirement pension system. The aim is to present arguments for and against the project from the point of view of various actors, and to assess the chances of success for the new system. The article offers a detailed study of legal solutions, an analysis of the literature on the subject, and reports of institutions that supervise pension funds. The results of the analysis point to a lack of cohesion between some of the tenets of Poland’s 1999 pension reform and expose a lack of consistency in how the reform was carried out, which led to the eventual removal of the capital part of the pension system. The study shows that additional saving for old age is advisable in the country’s current demographic situation and necessary for both economic and social reasons. However, the systemic solutions offered by the government appear to be chiefly designed to serve short-term state interests and do not create sufficient incentives for potential pension plan participants to join the programme.

  • Issue Year: 301/2020
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 9-54
  • Page Count: 46
  • Language: Polish