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The effect of pension rules on retirement monetary incentives with an application to pension reforms in Spain

Author

Listed:
  • Sergi Jiménez-Martín

    (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

  • Alfonso R. Sánchez Martín

    (Imperial College London)

Abstract

In this work we theoretically disentangle the effects of pension provisions on a variety of financial incentives to retirement, trying to reconcile them with some key Spanish retirement patterns. We find that the «average» individual, who is never affected by any cap of contributions or benefits, has weak incentives to retire early and strong incentives to retire at the normal retirement age. Alternatively, individuals at the bottom of the wage distribution have strong incentives to retire as early as possible, as a result of the interaction between age-related penalties and the minimum pension. Both findings perfectly accommodate the retirement hazard of medium and low earners respectively. In contrast, high earners (those that have their contributions capped) do not retire early despite having strong incentives to do so. This is because, for those workers, financial incentives are not a good proxy for the marginal utility from working. Finally, we analyze the reasons behind the failure of the 1997 reform in improving the sustainability of the Spanish public pension system.

Suggested Citation

  • Sergi Jiménez-Martín & Alfonso R. Sánchez Martín, 2004. "The effect of pension rules on retirement monetary incentives with an application to pension reforms in Spain," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 169(2), pages 35-66, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:hpe:journl:y:2004:v:169:i:2:p:35-66
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Samwick, Andrew A., 1998. "New evidence on pensions, social security, and the timing of retirement," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(2), pages 207-236, November.
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    3. Michele Boldrin & Sergi Jiménez-Martín & Franco Peracchi, 2004. "Micro-Modeling of Retirement Behavior in Spain," NBER Chapters, in: Social Security Programs and Retirement around the World: Micro-Estimation, pages 499-578, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

    1. García-Pérez, J. Ignacio & Jiménez-Martín, Sergi & Sánchez-Martín, Alfonso R., 2013. "Retirement incentives, individual heterogeneity and labor transitions of employed and unemployed workers," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 106-120.
    2. Sergi Jiménez-Martín & Alfonso R Sánchez-Martín, 2006. "An evaluation of the life-cycle effects of minimum pensions on retirement behaviour: Extended Version," Working Papers 06.23, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    retirement; Social Security; Monetary incentives; Pension Reform; Spain;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H3 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents
    • H5 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies

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