Generation in itself or for itself? The conflict potential of cohorts in the German, Dutch and British pension systems compared

The concept of welfare generation and the idea of possible conflicts between generations have been discussed frequently in the context of pension systems. In order to form interest groups that could engage in such a conflict, the generations in question would have to form clear collectives with strong agendas. This article shows that the concept of generation is rather vague and that it is not possible to define a generational collective characterised by its experiences with and attitudes towards the welfare state or the pension system. Pensioner cohorts have so far been identified mainly on the basis of financial transactions. If other resources and characteristics are taken into account, the seemingly clear-cut differences between generations get blurred. Apart from these external factors, there is also no evidence to be found for specific generations perceiving themselves as winners or losers, nor do they show an outspoken conflict potential that would mark them as actors in generational disputes.