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Superannuation in Australia: A Survey of the Literature
Author(s) -
Kingston Geoffrey,
Thorp Susan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
economic record
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.365
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1475-4932
pISSN - 0013-0249
DOI - 10.1111/1475-4932.12443
Subject(s) - normative , economics , quarter (canadian coin) , accounting , finance , actuarial science , labour economics , public economics , political science , law , archaeology , history
In 2017 Australian superannuation assets stood at 148 per cent of GDP , or $2.5 trillion in absolute terms. This was the world's fourth largest pool of retirement savings, a remarkable outcome over 25 years of the operation of the Superannuation Guarantee. We survey the local academic, industry and policy literature on the economics of superannuation during the last quarter of a century. Topics include the policy debate, the positive, normative and behavioural economics of household interaction with superannuation, and the structure, conduct and performance of the superannuation industry. We encourage further research into effective tax rates, the need to hedge human capital and the automation of financial advice.