Just after WW2 the UK government’s spending on pensions in the UK amounted to about 2 percent of GDP – these days its nearer 8 percent. Despite this, over the years we’ve seen an increasing number of people funding their retirement through private schemes, rather than relying on state pensions. And yet, a recent YouGov poll shows that one third of the population reckon they won’t have enough to live off when they retire. In this edition of the Debunking Economics Podcast Phil Dobbie asks Prof Steve Keen how we got into this situation – spending more and more money but failing to meet the needs of people in their old age. Is there a better way of ensuring that we can survive gracefully in our latter years?

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