The Political Economy of Pension Reform in Armenia

In this short article, I discuss some of the political economy aspects of the ongoing pension reform in Armenia. The focus is on two opposing forces – taxpayers’ quite significant resistance to the reform vis-à-vis government’s imperative to reform due to fiscal constraints - that are likely to shape the outcome of the reform. The discussion is centered around a fiscal contract where the government is forced to make democratic concessions in return for the taxpayers’ commitment to comply with its new institutions. I argue that, this conflict may push Armenia into a virtuous circle of development.

Asatryan, Zareh (2014), The Political Economy of Pension Reform in Armenia, Caucasus Analytical Digest 60 , 2-5