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The effect of old-age insurance on male retirement : evidence from historical cross-country data

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  • Richard Johnson
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    Abstract

    I examine the effect of Old-Age Insurance systems on the labour supply of older men. Male retirement ages are crucial to the solvency of OAI systems. Historical data on participation rates and OAI rules in thirteen developed countries show rapid falls in participation among men aged 60-4 after pensions were extended to them. I estimate participation elasticities of -0.06 with respect to replacement rates and 0.19 to the net-of-tax wage. It does not appear that endogenous OAI changes bias the regression coefficients. The growth of OAI explains about 11 percent of the reduction in participation of men aged 60-4 since 1920; greater wealth probably explains most of the remainder.

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    Bibliographic Info

    Paper provided by Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in its series Research Working Paper with number RWP 00-09.

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    Date of creation: 2000
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    Handle: RePEc:fip:fedkrw:rwp00-09

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    Keywords: Insurance ; Social security ; Retirement;

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    1. Kahn, James A., 1988. "Social security, liquidity, and early retirement," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 97-117, February.
    2. David Neumark & Elizabeth Powers, 1998. "Welfare for the Elderly: The Effects of SSI on Pre-Retirement Labor Supply," NBER Working Papers 6805, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Alan B. Krueger & Jorn-Steffen Pischke, 1991. "The Effect of Social Security on Labor Supply: A Cohort Analysis of the Notch Generation," NBER Working Papers 3699, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Sveinbjörn Blöndal & Stefano Scarpetta, 1999. "The Retirement Decision in OECD Countries," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 202, OECD Publishing.
    5. Burtless, Gary, 1986. "Social Security, Unanticipated Benefit Increases, and the Timing of Retirement," Review of Economic Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(5), pages 781-805, October.
    6. Burkhauser, Richard V & Turner, John A, 1978. "A Time-Series Analysis on Social Security and Its Effect on the Market Work of Men at Younger Ages," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 86(4), pages 701-15, August.
    7. Leora Friedberg, 1998. "The Effect of Old Age Assistance on Retirement," NBER Working Papers 6548, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Courtney Coile & Jonathan Gruber, 2000. "Social Security and Retirement," NBER Working Papers 7830, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Dora L. Costa, 1998. "The Evolution of Retirement," NBER Chapters, in: The Evolution of Retirement: An American Economic History, 1880-1990, pages 6-31 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Costa, Dora L., 1998. "The Evolution of Retirement," National Bureau of Economic Research Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 1, number 9780226116082, May.
    11. Blake, David, 2003. "Pension Schemes and Pension Funds in the United Kingdom," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, edition 2, number 9780199243532, July.
    12. Gruber, Jonathan & Wise, David, 1998. "Social Security and Retirement: An International Comparison," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(2), pages 158-63, May.
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    Cited by:
    1. Richard Disney, 2001. "Europe: Is There an Aging Crisis or is it a Public Pension Problem?," CESifo Forum, Ifo Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 2(4), pages 25-30, 02.
    2. Fischer, Justina AV & Sousa-Poza, Alfonso, 2009. "The Effect of Pension Generosity on Early Retirement: A Microdata Analysis for Europe from 1967 to 2004," MPRA Paper 15940, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Richard Johnson, 2001. "Effects of old-age insurance on female retirement : evidence from cross-country time-series data," Research Working Paper RWP 01-08, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
    4. Tryggvi Thor Herbertsson, 2001. "Shrinking Labour Forces and Early Retirement," CESifo Forum, Ifo Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 2(4), pages 31-37, October.

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