An analysis of public plan investment behavior released Nov. 24 showed that public plan fiduciaries reacted prudently to the market downturn in 2000 and can be expected to do the same in response to the current market collapse.

The report, In It For the Long Haul, published by the National Institute on Retirement Security, found almost nothing in the data it analyzed that should cause concern to participants about the actions of public pension investors during the current market crisis, said report co-author Christian Weller, associate professor of public policy and public affairs at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.