Mixed ABMs for NDC Pension Schemes in the Presence of Demographic and Economic Uncertainty

The crisis of pension systems based on pay-as-you-go (PAYG) financing has led to the introduction in some countries, including Italy, of so-called notional defined contribution (NDC) pension accounts. These systems mimic the functioning of defined contribution systems in benefit calculations while remaining based on PAYG financing. Despite many appealing features, NDC accounts cannot automatically guarantee a system’s financial sustainability in the presence of demographic or economic fluctuations. The literature proposes automatic balance mechanisms (ABMs) of the notional rate applied to notional accounts and an indexation rate applied to pensions. ABMs may be based on two indicators: the liquidity ratio or the solvency ratio. Such ABMs may strengthen a system’s financial sustainability but may produce significant fluctuations in the adjusted notional rate, thereby undermining the social adequacy of the system. In this work, we introduce a mixed ABM based on both the liquidity ratio and solvency ratio and identify the optimal combination that guarantees financial sustainability of the system and, at the same time, maximizes the return paid to the participants at fixed levels of confidence. The numerical results show the advantages of a mixed mechanism over those based on a single indicator. Indeed, although the results depend on the system’s initial conditions and the different ABM configurations tested (16 in total), some common patterns emerge across the solutions. A solvency ratio-based ABM maximizes social utility, while a liquidity ratio-based one ensures financial stability. Although not optimal for either criterion, the ABM that mixes the liquidity ratio and solvency ratio in proportions ranging from 60–40% to 50–50% emerges from our numerical simulations as the best compromise to achieve these two objectives jointly.