Institutional disparities and asset allocation homologation in Italian defined contribution pension funds. How do they affect the guarantee commitment?

This paper analyzes the performance of the Italian defined contribution guaranteed pension funds during the period 2008-2012 through a panel analysis. This paper is organized around three main research questions. The first one is focused on the probability of a guarantee payment in a given year. The second one deals with the determinants of the gap between actual return and minimum guaranteed yield on a yearly basis. The third one focuses on the factors affecting the weight of administrative and management costs and their relationship with the fund dimension.