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

Drygas, Piotr

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

Abstract

‘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.

Keywords

Polish Social Insurance Institution pension policy paltry pension pension poverty

Citation

Drygas P., 2025, Old age pensions lower than the minimum pension in Poland – whose problem is it and what are the potential solutions?, "Problemy Polityki Społecznej. Social Policy Issues", 69(2): 1–26. https://doi.org/10.31971/pps/205802

URI

https://open.icm.edu.pl/handle/123456789/26842

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