Sustainability of funded pension schemes: A financial position perspective using options

Digitalization and technological advancement, referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), results not only in technological innovation but also in the changes in society and public awareness. One such tendency is the demographic aging, which implicates two concerns: the instability of the public pension systems and the social awareness related with the risk of major reduction of benefits in contrast to the expectations and the need for the additional private pension security. The research has aimed to identify the opinions and attitudes of the students from Poland and Ukraine in respect to the broadly understood issues of the old age security, as well as to recognize the prospective differences in this field between the researched populations. The relevant research was conducted using the PAPI method in the years 2018–2019. Within the framework of the research, nine specific hypotheses were presented concerning the attitudes towards the selected aspects of the pension schemes and old-age security. The results were compiled in the form of the semantic differential, and the Mann-Whitney U test was utilized to verify the significance of the differences in the distribution of the answers given by the students. Those served as the basis for formulating the conclusions regarding similarities and differences in the opinions expressed by young people studied populations.

Acknowledgment
This project has been financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education within the “Regional Initiative of Excellence” Programme for 2019–2022. Project No. 021/RID/2018/19. Total project budget: PLN 11 897 131,40.

Using funded and unfunded pillars, the optimal pension structure is estimated using an over-lapping generation model, calibrated to the average OECD countries. While simulating different pillar sizes, a socio-economic characteristic was revealed in which low-earning groups are prone to unexpected market risks than high-earning cohorts and support a larger contribution than better-off individuals. This led to high contribution rates for funded pillars and low contributions rates for social security pillars. This suboptimal allocation leads to inefficient hedging capability for the pension portfolio. An alternative is a minimum pension guarantee as an efficient system stabilizer as it rebalances the economic cost among different earning cohorts. However, the guarantee might be expensive to implement if not capitalized early in the working phases in an era of aging populations, low birth rates, and deep financial crisis.

Global concern over environmental pollution has sparked the adoption of green business practices, which are essential for the sustainability of SMEs through green economy initiatives and renewable resources. This study aims to analyze the integration of circular and digital economy policies along with social protection policies in supporting green business innovation among culinary SMEs. By emphasizing the significance of government roles and innovation capabilities, the paper proposes that policies promoting environmentally friendly practices and social security can enhance sustainable performance in alignment with SDG principles. The study employs a quantitative approach, surveying 200 culinary SMEs in Surabaya City in Indonesia, a city known for its vibrant SME sector and commitment to sustainable practices. The data analysis, conducted using PLS-SEM through SmartPLS 4, reveals that circular economy policies (t-test = 6.503; p-value = 0.000) and social security (t-test = 3.848; p-value = 0.000) significantly enhance green business innovation, while digital economy policies are not significant (t-test = 0.725; p-value = 0.468). Furthermore, green business innovation positively impacts sustainable performance (t-test = 24.418; p-value = 0.000). However, internal innovation capabilities do not moderate the relationship between integrative policies and green business innovation. The findings indicate that government policies significantly influence green business innovation in MSMEs, particularly through circular economy regulations. Regulatory support and incentives are crucial for driving environmental sustainability and enhancing competitiveness. Strengthening digital economy policies through improved technology access and digital literacy will further support green innovation, while investments in internal innovation and human resources are vital for sustainable growth.

Acknowledgment
This study is funded by the Riset Kolaborasi Indonesia (Grant No. B/43869/UN38.III.1/LK.04.00/2024) by LPPM Universitas Negeri Surabaya.