Old age pensions lower than the minimum pension in Poland – whose problem is it and what are the potential solutions

Bibliographic Data

ID12864661
AuthorsPiotr Drygas (0000-0001-5955-6562, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume69
Issue2
Pages1-26
Publication date2025-06-27
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueProblemy Polityki Społecznej Studia i Dyskusje (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2719-7328 • E-ISSN: 1640-1808
PublisherUniversity of Warsaw (PUBLISHER • PL)
DOI10.31971/pps/205802
OpenAlexW4412406695
LanguageEN
References cited16

‘Paltry pensions’ (emerytury groszowe) are old age pensions that are lower than the statutory minimum pension. This type of retirement benefit is a relatively new phenomenon in the Polish social security system. As many as 400,000 people received ‘paltry pensions’ in 2023, with an upward trend forecast for the years ahead. The reform of the Polish pension system of 1999 generated circumstances conducive to the emergence of ‘paltry pensions’ as a side effect of the implementation of the defined contribution principle. The article seeks to explore the perspectives of diverse stakeholders regarding the causes, consequences, and the policy relevance of this phenomenon. It also includes an analysis of their opinions on social justice principles in the context of pension systems. For this purpose, the article uses fifteen qualitative interviews with experts who represent various stakeholders of the universal pension system in Poland. The result is the mapping of the differences and similarities in the positions of stakeholders with diverse interests and political influence and an overview of these stakeholders’ approaches to the future of pension policy in Poland

Economics · Pension · Financial Literacy, Pension, Retirement Analysis · Global Health Care Issues · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Finance

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