ABSTRACT
An analysis that attempts to explain the various arrangements that provide economic security to the retired population will have to deal with two basic questions. First, it is necessary to ask what it is that persuades members of a group to seek a collective solution to the problem of providing for old age rather than to rely on individual action. Second, if collective desires are in some sense legitimized, then a choice must be made among the various kinds of collectivities that are available to provide such a good; they range from clubs and unions to trade associations and governments.
