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The Effects of Noncontributory Pensions on Material and Subjective Well-Being

Author

Listed:
  • Rosangela Bando
  • Sebastian Galiani
  • Paul Gertler

Abstract

Public expenditures on noncontributory pensions are equivalent to at least 1% of gross domestic product in several countries in Latin America and are expected to increase. We explore the effect of noncontributory pensions on well-being by studying the Pension 65 program in Peru, which uses a poverty eligibility threshold. Households with a beneficiary increased their level of consumption by 40%. The program improved subjective well-being by 0.17 standard deviations. Comparing our findings to those we published in 2016, we conclude the effects of noncontributory pensions on well-being in rural Mexico are comparable to those found in Peru.

Suggested Citation

  • Rosangela Bando & Sebastian Galiani & Paul Gertler, 2020. "The Effects of Noncontributory Pensions on Material and Subjective Well-Being," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 68(4), pages 1233-1255.
  • Handle: RePEc:ucp:ecdecc:doi:10.1086/702859
    DOI: 10.1086/702859
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    Cited by:

    1. Yanying Chen & Yi Jin Tan, 2018. "The effect of non-contributory pensions on labour supply and private income transfers: evidence from Singapore," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 7(1), pages 1-54, December.
    2. -, 2020. "Universal Social Protection in Latin America and the Caribbean. Selected texts 2006-2019," Páginas Selectas de la CEPAL, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), number 45093 edited by Eclac, September.
    3. Khanna, Gaurav & Lay, Margaret J. & Lee, Stephanie & Thompson, Benjamin, 2025. "Female labor supply and rural pension eligibility in Brazil," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    4. Guimbeau, Amanda & Menon, Nidhiya, 2024. "Pensions and Depression: Gender-Disaggregated Evidence from the Elderly Poor in India," IZA Discussion Papers 17530, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. José Luis Iparraguirre, 2020. "Economics and Ageing," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-030-29019-1, December.
    6. 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).
    7. Andersen, Asbjørn G. & Kotsadam, Andreas & Somville, Vincent, 2022. "Material resources and well-being — Evidence from an Ethiopian housing lottery," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    8. Alzua, Maria Laura & Cantet, Maria Natalia & Dammert, Ana & Olajide, Daminola, 2020. "Mental Health Effects of an Old Age Pension: Experimental Evidence for Ekiti State in Nigeria," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304176, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    9. 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.
    10. Adhikari, Tamanna & Greyling, Talita & Rossouw, Stephanie, 2021. "The ugly truth about social welfare payments and households' subjective well-being," GLO Discussion Paper Series 883, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    11. Christoph Freudenberg & Mr. Frederik G Toscani, 2019. "Informality and the Challenge of Pension Adequacy: Outlook and Reform Options for Peru," IMF Working Papers 2019/149, International Monetary Fund.
    12. Gu, Xin & Li, Hao & Peng, Langchuan, 2022. "The anti-domestic violence law and women's welfare: Evidence from a natural experiment in China," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 1-16.
    13. Koen Decancq & Javier Olivera & Erik Schokkaert, 2018. "Program evaluation and ethnic differences: the Pension 65 program in Peru," Working Papers of Department of Economics, Leuven 630047, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Department of Economics, Leuven.
    14. Laura Juárez & Yunuen Nicte Rodríguez Piña, 2020. "El efecto de las pensiones no contributivas sobre el bienestar subjetivo de los adultos mayores en México," Serie documentos de trabajo del Centro de Estudios Económicos 2020-03, El Colegio de México, Centro de Estudios Económicos.
    15. Maria Laura Alzua & Natalia Cantet & Ana Dammert & Damilola Olajide, 2019. "Welfare Effects of a Non-Contributory Old Age Pension: Experimental Evidence for Ekiti State, Nigeria," Working Papers PIERI 2019-15, PEP-PIERI.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H4 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods
    • H3 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents
    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty

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