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Incomes and Inequality in the Long Run: The Case of German Elderly

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  • Bönke Timm

    (Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany)

  • Schröder Carsten
  • Schulte Katharina

    (University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany)

Abstract

We use German Sample Survey income data to examine the income distribution for elderly individuals during the period from 1978 to 2003. The elderly population, defined as people of age 55 and older, is decomposed by people resident in the Old and New Federal States. Further, we distinguish between persons receiving old-age pensions and persons who do not. Inequality estimates are decomposed by income components, and the bootstrap method is used to test for statistical significance of results.

Suggested Citation

  • Bönke Timm & Schröder Carsten & Schulte Katharina, 2010. "Incomes and Inequality in the Long Run: The Case of German Elderly," German Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 11(4), pages 487-510, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:germec:v:11:y:2010:i:4:p:487-510
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0475.2009.00496.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Christine Mayrhuber & Rainer Eppel & Thomas Horvath & Helmut Mahringer, 2020. "Destandardisierung von Erwerbsverläufen und Rückwirkungen auf die Alterssicherung," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 66001, Juni.
    2. Hanewald, Katja & Jia, Ruo & Liu, Zining, 2021. "Why is inequality higher among the old? Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    3. Mauro Mussini, 2017. "Decomposing Changes in Inequality and Welfare Between EU Regions: The Roles of Population Change, Re-Ranking and Income Growth," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(2), pages 455-478, January.
    4. Bönke Timm & Schröder Carsten, 2011. "Poverty in Germany – Statistical Inference and Decomposition," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 231(2), pages 178-209, April.
    5. Bönke, Timm & Kemptner, Daniel & Lüthen, Holger, 2018. "Effectiveness of early retirement disincentives: Individual welfare, distributional and fiscal implications," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 25-37.
    6. Schröder, Carsten & Bönke, Timm, 2012. "Country inequality rankings and conversion schemes," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 6, pages 1-43.
    7. Timm Bönke & Carsten Schröder & Clive Werdt, 2013. "Compiling a harmonized database from Germany’s 1978 to 2003 sample surveys of income and expenditure," AStA Wirtschafts- und Sozialstatistisches Archiv, Springer;Deutsche Statistische Gesellschaft - German Statistical Society, vol. 7(3), pages 135-168, December.
    8. Moritz Hess, 2018. "Retirement Expectations in Germany—Towards Rising Social Inequality?," Societies, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-11, July.
    9. Timm Bönke & Carsten Schröder & Katharina Schulte, 2011. "Zur Entwicklung der Einkommensverteilung unter älteren Menschen in Deutschland seit der Wiedervereinigung," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 80(2), pages 81-99.
    10. Christian Dudel & Julian Schmied, 2023. "Pension benchmarks: empirical estimation and results for the United States and Germany," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(2), pages 171-188, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Pension; reform; aging; inequality; decomposition; German Sample Survey of Income and Expenditure; bootstrap; statistical inference;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household

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