Newsletter of the Network for Studies on Pensions, Aging and Retirement Issue 2 Summer 2005 Maria van der Hoeven on Netspar as MTI 3 Theme: Data on Europe’s Seniors 4 Netspar Netspar News Visiting address is published by Netspar, Network for Studies on Pensions, Faculty of Economics and Business Aging and Retirement Administration Tilburg University Warandelaan 2, 5037 AB Tilburg Postal address P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg The Netherlands Phone +31 13 466 2109 Fax +31 13 466 3066 E-mail: [email protected] www.netspar.nl Board of Scientific Directors Lans Bovenberg Arie Kapteyn Theo Nijman (chair) Coordinators Administration: Martijn van Gruijthuijsen Interview Education: Arthur van Soest Partners: Rob Bakker Maria van der Hoeven 3 EU Policy: Fred Hoogeland Scientific Council Richard Blundell, University College Theme Introduction London Axel Börsch Supan, University of Netspar Researchers Need Data 4 Mannheim Paul Embrechts, ETH Zurich Olivia Mitchell, Wharton - University of Pennsylvania Theme: Data Luis Viceira, Harvard University David Wise, Harvard University The Potential of Administrative Data 4 Advisory Board Importance of Data to DNB 6 Willem Buijink, Tilburg University Jacques van der Gaag, Universiteit van The DNB Household Survey 7 Amsterdam Ruud Hagendijk, Mn Services Data from Experiments 8 Karel Noordzij, PGGM Jan Nijssen, ING Geert Veentjer, Stichting Instituut Gak Erry Stoové, SVB (chair) Workshop Fons van de Vijver, Tilburg University Tom Wansbeek, University of Groningen Pension Workshop Draws Experts 10 Guus Wouters, Interpolis Netspar Partners Pension funds and asset liability Research companies ABP, Cordares, Mn Services, PGGM Top Talent Recruited 14 Insurance companies and banks ABN AMRO, Achmea, Aegon, Fortis ASR, ING, Interpolis Governmental bodies Partner Profile DNB, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Social Affairs and Cordares Expands 16 Employment, Ministry of Education, NWO, Sociale Verzekeringsbank Universities EUR, RUG, UM, UU, UvT, UvA, VU Photo Impression Other organizations Stichting Instituut Gak Opening Conference 18 Support Staff Marleen Brouwer Sylvia van Drogenbroek Short News – Calendar – The Cartoon 20 Lenie Laurijssen Editors Rob Bakker Clemens van Diek Etc. Editorial Services, Breda Photography Beeldbank, Tilburg University Ben Bergmans, Tilburg University Erik van der Burgt, Verbeeld, Tilburg (p. 3, 5, 6, 7, 18, 19) Clemens van Diek, FEB - Tilburg University Hollandse Hoogte (Front page, p. 15) Andrew Kendall (p. 11) Cartoon Hans van den Tillaart Graphic Design LaVerbe, Nijmegen (Concept) Sander Neijnens, Tilburg Printed by Drukkerij Gianotten, Tilburg ISSN 1574-8790 © 2005 Netspar, The Netherlands Interview Maria van der Hoeven on Netspar as MTI Maria van der Hoeven, the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, answers four questions on Societal Top Institutes (mtis) and Netspar. What motivated the Minister to create and finance the Societal Top Institutes (in Dutch mti’s, Maatschappelijke Topinstituten)? Minister: “Introduction of the Societal Top Institutes is intended to stimulate greater innovation among and between public, private and social partners in the Netherlands. The institutes should bring to bear new forms of cooperation between the government and knowledge institutes, from a societal perspective. The primary goal of the Societal Top Institutes is to forge a direct connection between excellent scientific research and organizations that use such research. The latter may include societal organizations, but will certainly involve governmental departments. “I have great For a number of years already, the confidence in Lans Bovenberg, who Netherlands has appointed Technological won the influential Top Institutes (ttis) to forge links between Spinoza Prize two excellent scientific research and client years ago.” Photo: Maria van organizations, particularly in the private der Hoeven hands sector. These ttis already have made an over the Spinoza important contribution to the innovative sculpture to Lans Bovenberg in The capacity and competitive strength of the Hague. Dutch business sector. That success motivated the Wijffels Committee of the Innovation Taskforce to introduce a similar selected three projects, one of which is in Netspar’s multidisciplinary approach: an initiative aimed at societal issues. The Netspar. The other two projects involve enterprising combination of economic and Innovation Taskforce concurred with the urban renewal and internationalization of social sciences. Netspar seeks to gather top recommendations of the committee and law.” researchers from across the country to decided that the renewal in the innovation address the issues it has identified. system brought about by the ttis should be Which factors convinced the Minister to Netspar’s selection was based on advice expanded to include societal sectors. select Netspar as a Societal Top Institute? from the Interdepartmental Committee on Also Parliament shares the aim of directing Minister: “A Societal Top Institute combines Priority Issues, which identified the greater attention to research geared toward excellent scientific research with active priorities of government departments. The addressing societal problems. Taking the involvement in the most important Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment above into consideration, I decided to questions facing society. Such an initiative recommended Netspar, and nwo backed up provide pilot subsidies to a few select also forges connections with client the recommendation with a positive projects. In the meantime, the Ministry has organizations, which rely on such research. evaluation of Netspar’s scientific quality. asked the Dutch Science Foundation (nwo) Netspar confronts the issues surrounding Further, I’d like to add that I have a great to further develop the concept of the pensions and population aging. The way in deal of confidence in Lans Bovenberg, one Societal Top Institute. This way, the concept which Netspar approaches these issues— not of Netspar’s scientific directors, who won becomes less abstract, and at the same only as problems, but also as possibilities the influential Spinoza Prize two years ago.” time, a few institutes can serve as role for societal innovation — is particularly models. Together with my colleagues, I have inspiring. This creative approach is reflected Continued on page 9 Netspar News Issue 2 Summer 2005 3 Data Theme Introduction Netspar Researchers Need Statistical Data The Untapped Potential of Administrative Data Strong and conflicting opinions exist about almost all key research issues facing Netspar: the dynamic influences of pension systems and social insurances in aging societies on economic growth, labor force participation, financial markets and One of the goals of Netspar is to provide the best possible data societal well-being. All academic and infrastructure for public policy research. Even after seventy or non-academic partners of Netspar share eighty years of empirical research, the data used by economists the view that a discussion about vested often leave much to be desired. Netspar is involved in a joint interests, challenging opinions and venture with Statistics Netherlands (cbs), that will combine an innovative insights would be beneficial, entirely new data infrastructure. provided that the usual requirements for scientific debate have been met: respect for the interests of all, transparency, independence, and empirical support. A crucial element in this context is the availability of empirical data, which can be used to test and either falsify or by Arie Kapteyn confirm hypotheses and theories about pensions and insurance economics. Statistics Administrative Data The focus of this second issue of Netspar Many micro datasets have been collected A third category of data that is gradually News is the importance of empirical data. over the years by statistical agencies, such becoming more common and more popular The Magazine provides perspective on the as Statistics Netherlands. The purpose of is administrative data. As the name implies, importance of data from the researchers’ such efforts typically has been to satisfy these data are collected for administrative point of view in the contribution written some sort of informational need to support purposes, (e.g. by the tax authorities or the by Arie Kapteyn and the interview with Jan government policy. An example would be employment office). Potters. The cooperation of De Nederland- the collection of expenditure data to sche Bank and Tilburg-based CentERdata is estimate weights in a consumer price index. Only rarely is one able to link survey data also discussed. Last but not least, Netspar In the past, using such data for research and administrative records. Both concerns News provides some information on was often difficult, as many restrictions over confidentiality and practical foreseen cooperation between Statistics were imposed on their scientific use. That impediments prohibit this in many cases. As Netherlands (cbs) and Netspar in testing situation has gradually improved. For a result, studies tend to use either the one an exciting facility for researchers to access instance, the Socio-Economic Panel (sep) or the other. Used in isolation, either type confidential micro data. conducted by Statistics Netherlands has of data has limitations. Studies relying collected data on the socio-economic exclusively on administrative data often Rob Bakker position of households between 1984 and have large samples available