Privatizing Pensions – The Transnational Campaign for Social Security Reform

"In this carefully crafted, comprehensive study, Mitchell Orenstein provides a persuasive analysis of the significance of transnational policy actors in pension privatization around the world. The empirical evidence is strong and the theoretical framework is applicable to a wide range of social policy issues. The book presents an important challenge to state-centric perspectives, as well as many of the interest-based assumptions of political economy approaches. This is a first-rate study which deserves attention from both academic and policy-oriented audiences."--Robert R. Kaufman, Rutgers University

"An innovative investigation into the role of transnational actors in national pension policy. Orenstein argues convincingly that transnational actors matter but that they need to be more broadly defined and their influence not reduced to money or coercion. They work through various channels, most importantly through the power of ideas, adaptability to country circumstances, learning from experience, and building coalitions with other transnational and domestic actors. The proposed conceptualization constitutes a major progress in this area."--Robert Holzmann, World Bank

"An excellent book that makes a significant theoretical contribution, and supports it with a great deal of solid empirical research. Orenstein demonstrates that decision making in a crucial area of domestic policy--namely pension system reform--is strongly influenced by transnational policy actors. His argument is novel and important."--Kurt Weyland, University of Texas, Austin

"This is a thoughtful and well-researched book on an important topic. Orenstein argues that international actors--including but not limited to the international financial institutions--exert influence in complex and multifaceted ways on domestic policy processes. The book is the best I know in making this case."--Stephan Haggard, University of California, San Diego