IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joecag/v23y2022ics2212828x22000433.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Pension exposure and health: Evidence from a longitudinal study in South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Riumallo Herl, Carlos
  • Kabudula, Chodziwadziwa
  • Kahn, Kathleen
  • Tollman, Stephen
  • Canning, David

Abstract

Social protection schemes have been expanding around the world with the objective of protecting older persons during retirement. While theoretically they have been seen as tools to improve individual wellbeing, there are few studies that evaluate whether social pensions can improve health. In this study, we exploit the change in eligibility criteria for the South African Old Age grant to estimate the association between pension exposure eligibility and health of older persons. For this, we use data from the Health and Aging in Africa: A longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (HAALSI) and model pension exposure in terms of its cumulative effect. Our results show that pension exposure is associated with better health as measured by a set of health indices. Disentangling these effects, we find that pension exposure is most likely to improve health through the delayed onset of physical disabilities in the elderly population. Our study highlights the relevance of social protection schemes as a mechanism to protect older persons physical health.

Suggested Citation

  • Riumallo Herl, Carlos & Kabudula, Chodziwadziwa & Kahn, Kathleen & Tollman, Stephen & Canning, David, 2022. "Pension exposure and health: Evidence from a longitudinal study in South Africa," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 23(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joecag:v:23:y:2022:i:c:s2212828x22000433
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeoa.2022.100411
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212828X22000433
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jeoa.2022.100411?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Riumallo-Herl, Carlos & Canning, David & Kabudula, Chodziwadziwa, 2019. "Health inequalities in the South African elderly: The importance of the measure of social-economic status," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 14(C).
    2. Armando Barrientos & David Hulme, 2009. "Social Protection for the Poor and Poorest in Developing Countries: Reflections on a Quiet Revolution," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(4), pages 439-456.
    3. Schatz, Enid & Gómez-Olivé, Xavier & Ralston, Margaret & Menken, Jane & Tollman, Stephen, 2012. "The impact of pensions on health and wellbeing in rural South Africa: Does gender matter?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(10), pages 1864-1873.
    4. Marianne Bertrand & Sendhil Mullainathan & Douglas Miller, 2003. "Public Policy and Extended Families: Evidence from Pensions in South Africa," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 17(1), pages 27-50, June.
    5. Xiaoyue Xu & Mabel Ling & Sally C. Inglis & Louise Hickman & Deborah Parker, 2020. "Eating and healthy ageing: a longitudinal study on the association between food consumption, memory loss and its comorbidities," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 65(5), pages 571-582, June.
    6. Case, Anne & Deaton, Angus, 1998. "Large Cash Transfers to the Elderly in South Africa," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 108(450), pages 1330-1361, September.
    7. Erik Meijer & Arie Kapteyn & Tatiana Andreyeva, 2011. "Internationally comparable health indices," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(5), pages 600-619, May.
    8. Pak, Tae-Young, 2021. "What are the effects of expanding social pension on health? Evidence from the Basic Pension in South Korea," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 18(C).
    9. James M. Poterba & Steven F. Venti & David A. Wise, 2011. "Family Status Transitions, Latent Health, and the Post-Retirement Evolution of Assets," NBER Chapters, in: Explorations in the Economics of Aging, pages 23-69, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Amy Finkelstein & Sarah Taubman & Bill Wright & Mira Bernstein & Jonathan Gruber & Joseph P. Newhouse & Heidi Allen & Katherine Baicker, 2012. "The Oregon Health Insurance Experiment: Evidence from the First Year," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 127(3), pages 1057-1106.
    11. Barrientos, Armando, 2003. "What Is the Impact of Non-Contributory Pensions on Poverty? Estimates from Brazil and South Africa," Development Economics and Public Policy Working Papers 30556, University of Manchester, Institute for Development Policy and Management (IDPM).
    12. Niño-Zarazúa, Miguel & Barrientos, Armando & Hickey, Samuel & Hulme, David, 2012. "Social Protection in Sub-Saharan Africa: Getting the Politics Right," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 163-176.
    13. Peter Lloyd-Sherlock & Sutapa Agrawal, 2014. "Pensions and the Health of Older People in South Africa: Is there an Effect?," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(11), pages 1570-1586, November.
    14. Peter Lloyd‐Sherlock & Nadia Minicuci & John Beard & Somnath Chatterji, 2012. "Social protection and preventing illness in developing countries: Establishing the health effects of pensions and health insurance," International Social Security Review, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 65(4), pages 51-68, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Aguila, Emma & Smith, James P., 2020. "Supplemental income program design: A cluster-randomized controlled trial to examine the health and wellbeing effects on older adults by gender, duration, and payment frequency," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    2. Margaret Ralston & Enid Schatz & Jane Menken & Francesc Xavier Gómez-Olivé & Stephen Tollman, 2015. "Who Benefits—Or Does not—From South Africa’s Old Age Pension? Evidence from Characteristics of Rural Pensioners and Non-Pensioners," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.
    3. Anqi Zhang & Katsushi S. Imai, 2022. "Does a Universal Pension Reduce Elderly Poverty in China?," Economics Discussion Paper Series 2203, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    4. Anqi Zhang & Katsushi S. Imai, 2022. "Does a Universal Pension Reduce Elderly Poverty in China?," Discussion Paper Series DP2022-30, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    5. Pedro Rodrigues de OLIVEIRA & Ana Lúcia KASSOUF, 2012. "Impact Evaluation of the Brazilian Non-Contributory Pension Program Benefício de Prestação Continuada (BPC) on Family Welfare," Working Papers PIERI 2012-12, PEP-PIERI.
    6. Steve Muchiri & Sun‐Ki Choi, 2021. "Evaluating the significance of cash transfers on household consumption," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 33(4), pages 662-673, December.
    7. Ana lucia Kassouf & Pedro Oliveira, 2014. "Impact Evaluation of the Brazilian Social Programs on Family Welfare," ERSA conference papers ersa14p132, European Regional Science Association.
    8. Pak, Tae-Young, 2020. "Social protection for happiness? The impact of social pension reform on subjective well-being of the Korean elderly," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 349-366.
    9. Berg, Erlend, 2013. "Are poor people credit-constrained or myopic? Evidence from a South African panel," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 195-205.
    10. Piraino, Patrizio, 2015. "Intergenerational Earnings Mobility and Equality of Opportunity in South Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 396-405.
    11. Pushkar Maitra & Ranjan Ray, 2006. "Household expenditure patterns and resource pooling: evidence of changes in post-apartheid South Africa," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 4(4), pages 325-347, December.
    12. Xi Chen, 2017. "Old age pension and intergenerational living arrangements: a regression discontinuity design," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 455-476, June.
    13. Waidler, Jennifer, 2016. "On the fungibility of public and private transfers: A mental accounting approach," MERIT Working Papers 2016-060, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    14. Stephan Klasen & Ingrid Woolard, 2009. "Surviving Unemployment Without State Support: Unemployment and Household Formation in South Africa," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 18(1), pages 1-51, January.
    15. Eric V. Edmonds & Kristin Mammen & Douglas L. Miller, 2005. "Rearranging the Family?: Income Support and Elderly Living Arrangements in a Low-Income Country," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 40(1).
    16. Javier Olivera & Jhonatan Clausen, 2014. "Las características del adulto mayor peruano y las políticas de protección social," Revista Economía, Fondo Editorial - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, vol. 37(73), pages 75-113.
    17. Galiani, Sebastian & Gertler, Paul & Bando, Rosangela, 2016. "Non-contributory pensions," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 47-58.
    18. Herrmann, Tabea & Leckcivilize, Attakrit & Zenker, Juliane, 2021. "The impact of cash transfers on child outcomes in rural Thailand: Evidence from a social pension reform," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 19(C).
    19. Hannah Kuper & Matthew Walsham & Flora Myamba & Simeon Mesaki & Islay Mactaggart & Morgon Banks & Karl Blanchet, 2016. "Social protection for people with disabilities in Tanzania: a mixed methods study," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(4), pages 441-457, October.
    20. Vidhya Unnikrishnan & Kunal Sen, 2020. "Old-age pensions and female labour supply in India," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-90, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:joecag:v:23:y:2022:i:c:s2212828x22000433. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/the-journal-of-the-economics-of-ageing .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.