As the scope of the current financial crisis dwarfs the recession of 1991, public retirement systems face momentous pressures. In a number of cases, the roots of these funding problems can be traced to actions taken during the recession 18 years earlier. This study of the New Hampshire Retirement System chronicles a series of events in 1991-92 which led to a $2.4 billion unfunded liability by 2007. The study depicts trustees, legislators and stakeholders in crisis. Transcripts and interviews give readers an inside view of a struggle to adhere to fiduciary duty in the face of relentless political pressure. Events in New Hampshire during the recession of 1991 were not unique; researchers found that a number of states sought to balance budgets by reducing pension contributions during that period. This study sets New Hampshire's experience in the context of those findings as it portrays a system of pension governance under stress. Now, the impending retirement of the Baby Boomers coincides with a global financial crisis. This examination of the past may serve to inform the present, as public pension systems face the challenges ahead.

Autorentext

Kate McGovern, MPA, PhD, is an Associate Professor with the New Hampshire Bureau of Education and Training and a faculty member at Springfield College, School of Human Services. As a consultant on public pension issues, Kate prepared the report forthe HB 876 Commission studying the long-term viability of New Hampshire Retirement System.