Economists and pension experts are collaborating to create a new international association to promote research on pensions, retirement and aging.
"Our goal is to link researchers and pension policymakers from around the world so they can learn about new developments that otherwise they might not find out about, and also share experiences across public and private retirement systems," Olivia S. Mitchell, a founding member of the International Pension Research Association and an executive board member, wrote in an email.
"There is no other organization that does this," added Ms. Mitchell, executive director of the Pension Research Council and professor of business economics and public policy at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
The association has multiple goals ranging from increasing communication among researchers in the fields of pensions, aging and retirement to assisting researchers starting their careers, Ms. Mitchell wrote.
The association was formally announced in early July at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. Hazel Bateman, an Australian pension economist, is the association's inaugural president.
"This association provides a unique opportunity to link the global research community to share research findings and best practice," Ms. Bateman said in a recent news release. She is professor in the School of Risk and Actuarial Studies at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, and deputy director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research.
