This 2006 book treats two vital public policy issues: how should distributions from individual accounts be regulated, and how can the market for private annuities function better? It provides a comprehensive survey of the issues that arise when contributors to individual accounts become eligible for distributions. It also addresses the questions of whether annuitization or other restrictions on distributions should be mandatory, and if so, can the provision of annuities be privatized? Its analytical framework is applicable to a broad range of countries. Given the diminishing importance of...