A dynamic analysis of the effect of social security reform on Spanish widow pensioners

This paper shows the dynamic effects of the reform of the Spanish social security pension system on the pensions received by one of the most vulnerable groups of the population, namely, widows. We undertake a duration analysis to account for the effects of reform over time. We study the effects on the widows’ overall financial welfare in terms of the evolution of their risk of poverty. We show that the combined effects of the measures to be implemented will have a positive impact; that is to say, the risk of poverty diminishes with respect to the current financial situation of the widows. However, the risk of poverty increases as the pensioners get older.