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Teacher Pension Systems, the Composition of the Teaching Workforce, and Teacher Quality

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  • Cory Koedel
  • Michael Podgursky
  • Shishan Shi

Abstract

Teacher pension systems impose large penalties on individuals who separate too soon or remain employed too long. The penalties result in the retention of some teachers who would otherwise choose to leave, and the premature exit of some teachers who would otherwise choose to stay. We examine how these compositional effects of teacher pension systems influence the quality of the teaching workforce, conditional on individuals who initially select into teaching. We find no evidence that the pull and push incentives raise teacher quality, and if anything, we find modest negative effects. Our results support future experimentation with compensation schemes for educators that are not so heavily backloaded.
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  • Cory Koedel & Michael Podgursky & Shishan Shi, 2013. "Teacher Pension Systems, the Composition of the Teaching Workforce, and Teacher Quality," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 574-596, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:32:y:2013:i:3:p:574-596
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Patten Priestley Mahler, 2017. "Are Teacher Pensions "Hazardous" for Schools?," Upjohn Working Papers 18-281, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    2. Dongwoo Kim & Cory Koedel & Wei Kong & Shawn Ni & Michael Podgursky & Weiwei Wu, 2021. "Pensions and Late-Career Teacher Retention," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 16(1), pages 42-65, Winter.
    3. Dan Goldhaber & Cyrus Grout, 2016. "Pension Choices and the Savings Patterns of Public School Teachers," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 11(4), pages 449-481, Fall.
    4. Maria D. Fitzpatrick & Michael F. Lovenheim, 2014. "Early Retirement Incentives and Student Achievement," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 6(3), pages 120-154, August.
    5. Shawn Ni & Michael Podgursky & Xiqian Wang, 2022. "Teacher Pension Plan Incentives, Retirement Decisions, and Workforce Quality," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 57(1), pages 272-303.
    6. David G. McCarthy & Po‐Lin Wang, 2022. "Wait your turn: Pension incentives, workplace rules, and labor supply among Philadelphia municipal workers," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 89(4), pages 985-1029, December.
    7. Trang Hoang, 2023. "Public Pension Reform and Credit Quality of State Governments," Public Finance Review, , vol. 51(3), pages 368-431, May.
    8. Fitzpatrick, Maria D., 2014. "Retiree health insurance for public school employees: Does it affect retirement?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 88-98.
    9. Barbara Bruns & Javier Luque, 2015. "Great Teachers : How to Raise Student Learning in Latin America and the Caribbean," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 20488, December.
    10. Martin F. Lueken & Michael Podgursky, 2016. "Determinants of Cashing Out: A Behavioral Analysis of Refund Claimants and Annuitants in the Illinois Teachers Retirement System," Working Papers 1605, Department of Economics, University of Missouri.
    11. Quinby, Laura D. & Wettstein, Gal, 2021. "Do deferred benefit cuts for current employees increase separation?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    12. Cory Koedel & Shawn Ni & Michael Podgursky, 2014. "Who Benefits from Pension Enhancements?," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 9(2), pages 165-192, March.
    13. Laura D. Quinby, 2020. "Do Deferred Retirement Benefits Retain Government Employees?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(2), pages 469-509, March.
    14. Max Schanzenbach, 2015. "Explaining the Public-Sector Pay Gap: The Role of Skill and College Major," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 9(1), pages 1-44.
    15. Kim, Dongwoo, 2020. "Worker retirement responses to pension incentives: Do they respond to pension wealth?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 365-385.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General
    • J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets

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