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Workplace disruptions, judge caseloads, and judge decisions: Evidence from SSA judicial corps retirements

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  • Shumway, Clayson
  • Wilson, Riley

Abstract

We exploit judge retirements from the Social Security Disability Insurance judicial corps to document how remaining judges respond to workplace disruptions. When a peer judge retires, the remaining judges see a 5 percent increase in dispositions and decisions that lasts 6 months. Institutional features of the disability appeal process allow us to estimate what happens to judge decisions when caseloads increase, holding the composition of cases fixed. Increased caseloads are accompanied by a 1 percent decrease in the judges’ share of favorable decisions, suggesting 16,600 claimants in-sample were not awarded disability insurance who would have been, absent the workplace disruption.

Suggested Citation

  • Shumway, Clayson & Wilson, Riley, 2022. "Workplace disruptions, judge caseloads, and judge decisions: Evidence from SSA judicial corps retirements," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:205:y:2022:i:c:s0047272721002097
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2021.104573
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social Security Disability; Judges; Peer Effects; Caseloads;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • K23 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Regulated Industries and Administrative Law

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