The idea of this book is to provide insight into the composition and structure of public pension and early retirement schemes in seven European countries, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. The component and structural analyses are based on micro simulation models, which, after validation of the models, makes it possible to perform a great number of precise calculations in a very short time and to present the results in graphical form, close to 'blue prints', this is the 'engineering' dimension of the study. It is also the aim to study the income protection these schemes provide when the working person retires, which is the social dimension of the study.