Coping with the ageing of the population without major economic disruption is undoubtedly one of the major challenges facing the global economy and world financial markets both now and for the coming decades.

In this context, this book assesses the major economic issues raised by occupational pension funds, as they have arisen in 12 OECD countries---the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands, as well as in Chile and Singapore. Particular emphasis is placed on the performance of funds in financial markets, the influence on funds of fiscal and regulatory conditions, and the consequences of funds' development for capital markets, corporate finance and international investment. The relationship with social security, the comparativ advantages of defined benefit and defined contribution funds and the role of funds in developing countries are also examined in detail.