All Research Studies

Despite having a better track record of paying the annual required contribution, locally-administered pension plans have not yet caught up with the funded levels of state-administered plans. (1/13)

This brief offers an analysis of how cuts in pension benefits could affect the quality of teachers school districts are able to hire. (1/13)

This report reviews the current and future role of defined contribution plans for state and local government employees and the governments that provide the retirement benefit. (10/12)

One-third of human resource executives made changes to the retirement plans they offer to employees within the past 12 months. (10/12)

This brief examines the growth of wellness plans and documents the health and financial benefits they have produced. (9/27/12)

Like all employers, state and local governments must control health care costs while still offering competitive benefit packages that will attract and retain talented employees. Eight states that have adopted innovative practices to reduce costs and improve employees’ health are featured in this publication, which comes out of a joint Center for Excellence-North Carolina State University symposium that addressed both national trends and a rich variety of lessons learned from state innovations. (8/12)

This issue brief describes existing legal protections for pensions and reviews recent court decisions that have separated core benefit accruals from cost of living adjustments (COLAs). (8/12)

This survey by the Center and the TIAA-CREF Institute finds that only 19 percent of full-time public sector workers are very confident in their retirement income prospects, with many expressing concern about the impact of rising health care costs on current savings. (7/12)

This brief looks at the effects of the 2008-2009 stock market decline on state and local pensions and what may improve their funded status in the future. (5/12)

Public and private employers face the same challenge: how to control the continuing growth in health care costs? This brief examines how three city governments — Asheville, Denver, and Oklahoma City – have responded to rising health care costs. (9/11)