Stimulating annuity markets

We study the short-, medium-, and long-run implications of stimulating annuity markets in a dynamic general-equilibrium overlapping-generations model. We find that beneficial partial-equilibrium effects of stimulating annuity markets are counteracted by negative general-equilibrium repercussions. Balancing the positive partial-equilibrium and negative general-equilibrium forces we show that there exists an intermediate level of annuitization such that the lifetime utility of steady-state agents is maximized. Studying the transition to this optimal degree of annuitization shows that currently middle-aged individuals stand to gain most from the stimulation of annuity markets. Complementing our main analysis, we highlight the centrality of the interplay between human-capital accumulation and annuity market policy.