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Earnings test, non-actuarial adjustments and flexible retirement

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  • Börsch-Supan, Axel
  • Härtl, Klaus
  • Leite, Duarte N.

Abstract

In response to the challenges of increasing longevity, many countries have introduced “flexibility reforms” for their public pension systems. A key measure of these reforms is the abolishment of earnings tests. It is claimed that these reforms increase labor supply and therefore the financial sustainability of pension systems. We build a simulation model to show that abolishing an earnings test may indeed create more labor supply but simultaneously reduce the average claiming age when adjustments remain less than actuarial, as is the case in most European pension systems. Flexibility reforms may therefore worsen rather than improve the sustainability of public pension systems.

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  • Börsch-Supan, Axel & Härtl, Klaus & Leite, Duarte N., 2018. "Earnings test, non-actuarial adjustments and flexible retirement," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 78-83.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:173:y:2018:i:c:p:78-83
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2018.09.020
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    Cited by:

    1. Börsch-Supan, Axel & Härtl, Klaus & Leite, Duarte & Ludwig, Alexander, 2018. "Endogenous retirement behavior of heterogeneous households under pension reforms," SAFE Working Paper Series 221, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    2. Masayuki Okada, 2023. "The optimal earnings test and retirement behavior," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(4), pages 1036-1068, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Population aging; Social security; Public insurance; Pension reform; Life-cycle saving; Labor supply; Retirement age;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • E17 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies

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