Researcher

My Expertise

Economics of Population Ageing; Economics of Pensions, Retirement, and Ageing; Retirement Provision and Pension Policy; Superannuation; Public Finance; Computable General Equilibrium; Economic Implications of Demographic Change; Taxation, Fiscal Sustainability

Keywords

Fields of Research (FoR)

Public economics - taxation and revenue

Biography

John Piggott AO FASSA is Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR) at the University of New South Wales, where he is Scientia Professor of Economics. A former Australian Professorial Fellow, he has published widely on issues in retirement and pension economics and finance; and in public finance more generally; his research has appeared in the leading international economics and...view more

John Piggott AO FASSA is Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR) at the University of New South Wales, where he is Scientia Professor of Economics. A former Australian Professorial Fellow, he has published widely on issues in retirement and pension economics and finance; and in public finance more generally; his research has appeared in the leading international economics and actuarial academic journals.

John worked with the Japanese government for nearly a decade from 1999 on pension and population ageing issues. From 2008-2010 he was Visiting Scholar at the Wharton School of Business, and in 2018, was awarded a Rockefeller Residency to undertake research into ageing and inequality in Asia.

In 2019, he was appointed co-chair of the Think20 (T20) Task Force on Aging Population during Japan’s G20 Presidency, and is currently a Commissioner on the US National Academy of Medicine’s International Commission on Healthy Longevity. He jointly led the establishment of the International Pension Research Association (IPRA) which was launched at the OECD in Paris in 2019. At a national level, he was a member of both the Henry Tax Review (2008-9) and the Australian Ministerial Superannuation Advisory Committee for 5 years from 2007.

At UNSW Sydney, John served three terms as Head of School of Economics, was Associate Dean Research for the Business Faculty for 7 years, and was Interim Dean of the Faculty for more than 12 months in the lead-up to its integration with AGSM. He was elected to the University Council in 2012, and re-elected in 2014 and 2016. In 2020, he was the recipient of the UNSW Business School’s Staff Excellence Global Impact Award.

Professor Piggott's profile is available here.


My Grants

  • ARC 2020-2023: Policy Modelling for Ageing in Emerging Economies: The Case of Indonesia (with Kudrna and others) $261,000 plus $150,000 industry support.
  • Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Residency 2018, “Population Ageing, Inequality and Social Policy for the Retired and Elderly: a Multi-disciplinary Analysis with Special Application  to the Asia-Pacific”, August-September 2018
  • ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research, 2017-2024. Centre director.  Twelve chief investigators and 3 partner investigators. $27.25 million plus collaborating and partner organisation support.
  • Michigan Retirement Research Centre 2014-2015: Means testing Social Security: Modelling and Policy Analysis (with Woodland and others), USD58,269
  • ARC 2015-2017: Mandatory Pre-funded Retirement Income Schemes: Best Policy and Practice (with Sherris and others), $493,000 plus industry support.
  • ARC 2016-2017: Long-term care financing and policy: Insights from a pilot program in China (with Sherris and Yao), $130,000 plus industry support.
  • Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2013, ACC, Intra-Household Transfers in China (with Magnani, Lu), $44,000, 2013
  • ARC Australian Professorial Fellow, 2011-2015, $400,000.
  • ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research, 2011-2017. Centre director.  Eight chief investigators and 6 partner investigators. $12.7 million plus collaborating and partner organisation support. Additional funding of $1.25 million awarded 2011.
  • ARC 2011-2012: Developing sustainable retirement policy in a Chinese province: the case of Zhejiang; $137,400 plus industry support.
  • ARC 2008-2012: “Managing Longevity Risk: Quantification and Implications for Products, Markets, Risk Management and Solvency” (with Sherris, Evans, Kim; Valdez; Mitchell; Hernaes); $1,289,945 plus industry support
  • Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Cabinet Office, Japan, 2007-2008: “Intergenerational Issues in Managing Future Fund Reserves” (with Mitchell); JPY6,500,000.
  • ARC 2007-2010 Linkage (with Department of Family and Community Services and Indegnous Affairs): An Integrated Approach to the Timing of Retirement: Life Cycle, Labour Force Heterogeneity, Financial Status and Public Support (with Barrett, Woodland, Gregory); $640,000 plus industry support.
  • ARC/NHMRC 2006-2010: Ageing Well Ageing Productively (AWAP) Program: “Working Longer: Policy Reforms and Practice Innovations” (with Bohle, Choi, McDonald, Woodland); $2,000,000.
  • Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Cabinet Office, Japan, 2006-2007: “Integrating Social Security and Aged Care: Implications for Japan.” (with Mitchell); JPY7,000,000.
  • ARC 2005-2007: “Economic, environmental and social psychological evaluation of Senior Living alternatives in Australia” (with Kennedy, Bohle, and Earl); $1,072,000.
  • Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Cabinet Office, Japan, 2005-2006: “Notional Defined Contribution Plans, Population Ageing, and Pension Fund Reserves: Implications for Policy.” (with Mitchell); JPY10,400,000.
  • ARC 2004-2006 Discovery: Retirement asset decumulation: Adequacy, institutions and products (with Valdez and Mitchell); $285,000.
  • Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Cabinet Office, Japan, 2004-2005: Socially Targeted Pension Fund Investments for Pension Stakeholders (with Mitchell); JPY13,000,000
  • Zhejiang Province, China, 2003-2004: “Pension reform in Zhejiang province” (with Lu Bei); $20,000.
  • Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Cabinet Office, Japan, 2003-2004: “Financial Innovation and Life Cycle Asset Allocation” (with Mitchell); JPY18,000,000.
  • ARC 2002-2004 Linkage (with Department of Family and Community Services): The Labour Supply and Savings Behaviour of Older Australians: Behavioural and Policy Impacts.  (with Barrett and Woodland); $700,000.
  • Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Cabinet Office, Japan, 2002-2003: “Reverse mortgages and the role of housing as a retirement asset” (with Mitchell); JPY18,000,000.
  • ARC 2002-2004 Discovery: The Demand and Supply of Retirement Provision. (with Bateman, Morita, Purcal, Mitchell, Whalley); $220,000.
  • Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), Cabinet Office, Japan, 2000-2002: How much is enough for retirement provision; $170,000.
  • ARC 1999-2001: The Economic Analysis of Pension Policy and Retirement in Asia, (with Kingston); $156,000.
  • ARC 1997: Pension Reform in Asia, $6,500.
  • ARC Collaborative Grant (with AMP) 1996-98:  Economic aspects of superannuation (with Kingston); $411,000.
  • ARC 1994-96:  Economic aspects of private pension policy (with Kingston); $199,000.
  • ARC 1992-93:  Economic impacts of carbon reduction initiatives, $20,000. 
  • ARC 1991-93:  Economic aspects of private pension policy (with Kingston); $139,000.
  • UNSW 1990:  Economic aspects of Australian private pension policy, $4,500.
  • ARC 1987-90:  Applied general equilibrium analysis of government policy, $75,000. Extended to end 1990.
  • Commonwealth Department of Health 1983-84:  Demand for health insurance in Australia.  (Frank Milne and Pravin Trivedi were co-investigators), $20,000.
  • ARGC 1981-86:  General equilibrium analysis of government policies, app. $80,000.
  • Reserve Bank of Australia 1980-82:  Applied general equilibrium analysis of Australian taxation policy, app. $50,000.

My Qualifications

BA University of Sydney; MSc London School of Economics; PhD University of London


My Awards

Fellow, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, 1992

Scientia Professor, UNSW, 2011-present

ARC Australian Professorial Fellow, 2011- 2015

UNSW Business School’s Staff Excellence Global Impact Award, 2020

Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), 2020


My Research Supervision


Currently supervising

Rafal Chomik, Ageing and Inequality, enrolled 2018 (supervised jointly with Bruce Bradbury)

Hoang Hoyen, Scientia scholarship, enrolled 2019 (supervised jointly with George Kudrna)

T Le Trang, Scientia scholarship, enrolled 2019 (supervised jointly with George Kudrna)


My Engagement

In the Media

2021

2020

2019

2018

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Location

Business
ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR)
Level 3 South | 223 ANZAC Parade | Kensington
UNSW SYDNEY NSW 2052 AUSTRALIA

Map reference (Google map)

Contact

+61 2 9385 5903
+61 2 9385 6956

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ORCID as entered in ROS

orcid_icon https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7529-657X

UNSW Sydney NSW 2052 Australia Telephone +61 2 93851000
Authorised by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
UNSW CRICOS Provider Code: 00098G ABN: 57 195 873 179

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