IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/kob/dpaper/dp2021-23.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Elderly Poverty and Its Measurement

Author

Listed:
  • Yoko Niimi

    (Faculty of Policy Studies, Doshisha University, and Asian Growth Research Institute, JAPAN)

  • Charles Yuji Horioka

    (Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration, Kobe University, Institute of Economic Research, Kyoto University, Asian Growth Research Institute, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University and National Bureau of Economic Research, JAPAN)

Abstract

This paper examines various aspects of elderly poverty and its measurement. It first discusses some of the most important issues relating to measuring elderly poverty. It then reviews recent trends in elderly poverty, which show considerable heterogeneity in the extent of elderly poverty even among developed countries. Such cross-country differences are due at least partly to differences in the generosity of public old-age pensions and other social safety nets for the elderly. Empirical evidence also corroborates that the expansion of public pension programs has often played a key role in reducing elderly poverty.

Suggested Citation

  • Yoko Niimi & Charles Yuji Horioka, 2021. "Elderly Poverty and Its Measurement," Discussion Paper Series DP2021-23, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    • Handle: RePEc:kob:dpaper:dp2021-23
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rieb.kobe-u.ac.jp/academic/ra/dp/English/DP2021-23.pdf
    File Function: First version, 2021
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Philippe Jacques & Marie-Louise Leroux & Dalibor Stevanovic, 2021. "Poverty among the elderly: the role of public pension systems," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 28(1), pages 24-67, February.
    2. Nikolov, Plamen & Adelman, Alan, 2019. "Do private household transfers to the elderly respond to public pension benefits? Evidence from rural China," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 14(C).
    3. Marchand, J. & Smeeding, T., 2016. "Poverty and Aging," Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging, in: Piggott, John & Woodland, Alan (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 905-950, Elsevier.
      • Marchand, Joseph & Smeeding, Timothy, 2016. "Poverty and Aging," Working Papers 2016-11, University of Alberta, Department of Economics, revised 20 Nov 2016.
    4. Daniel Cotlear, 2011. "Population Aging : Is Latin America Ready? [Envejecimiento de la población : ¿está preparada América Latina ?]," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 2542.
    5. Kaushal, Neeraj, 2014. "How Public Pension affects Elderly Labor Supply and Well-being: Evidence from India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 214-225.
    6. Unnikrishnan, Vidhya & Imai, Katsushi S., 2020. "Does the old-age pension scheme improve household welfare? Evidence from India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    7. Michael Hurd & Susann Rohwedder, 2006. "Consumption and Economic Well-Being at Older Ages: Income- and Consumption-Based Poverty Measures in the HRS," Working Papers wp110, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    8. Leonardo Gasparini & Javier Alejo & Francisco Haimovich & Sergio Olivieri & Leopoldo Tornarolli, 2010. "Poverty among older people in Latin America and the Caribbean," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 176-207.
    9. Sarmistha Pal & Robert Palacios, 2011. "Understanding Poverty among the Elderly in India: Implications for Social Pension Policy," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(7), pages 1017-1037.
    10. David A. Wise, 1998. "Inquiries in the Economics of Aging," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number wise98-2.
    11. Michael D. Hurd & Susann Rohwedder, 2006. "Economic Well-Being at Older Ages: Income- and Consumption-Based Poverty Measures in the HRS," NBER Working Papers 12680, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Armando Barrientos & Julia Mase, 2012. "Poverty Transitions among Older Households in Brazil and South Africa," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 24(4), pages 570-588, September.
    13. Korenman, Sanders & Remler, Dahlia K. & Hyson, Rosemary T., 2021. "Health insurance and poverty of the older population in the United States: The importance of a health inclusive poverty measure," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 18(C).
    14. Sarah Kuypers & Ive Marx, 2019. "The Truly Vulnerable: Integrating Wealth into the Measurement of Poverty and Social Policy Effectiveness," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 142(1), pages 131-147, February.
    15. Susanna Sandstr m & Timothy Smeeding, 2005. "Poverty and Income Maintenance in Old Age: A Cross-National View of Low Income Older Women," LIS Working papers 398, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    16. Piggott, John & Woodland, Alan (ed.), 2016. "Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging," Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 1, number 1.
    17. Nanak Kakwani & Kalanidhi Subbarao, 2007. "Poverty among the elderly in Sub-Saharan Africa and the role of social pensions," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(6), pages 987-1008.
    18. repec:wly:soecon:v:81:3:y:2015:p:782-802 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Inhoe Ku & Wonjin Lee & Seoyun Lee, 2021. "Declining Family Support, Changing Income Sources, and Older People Poverty: Lessons from South Korea," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 47(4), pages 965-996, December.
    2. Kang, Ji Young & Park, Sojung & Ahn, Seoyeon, 2022. "The effect of social pension on consumption among older adults in Korea," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 22(C).
    3. Cherchye, Laurens & De Rock, Bram & Vermeulen, Frederic, 2012. "Economic well-being and poverty among the elderly: An analysis based on a collective consumption model," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(6), pages 985-1000.
    4. Koen Caminada & Kees Goudswaard & Qingqi Liu & Chen Wang & Jinxian Wang, 2024. "Determinants of Elderly Poverty in 21 European Countries, 1995-2022," LIS Working papers 882, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    5. Unnikrishnan, Vidhya & Imai, Katsushi S., 2020. "Does the old-age pension scheme improve household welfare? Evidence from India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    6. Sanna Nivakoski, 2020. "Wealth and the effect of subjective survival probability," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 33(2), pages 633-670, April.
    7. Vidhya Unnikrishnan & Kunal Sen, 2020. "Old-age pensions and female labour supply in India," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-90, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. Giulia Bettin & Claudia Pigini & Alberto Zazzaro, 2020. "Financial inclusion and poverty transitions: an empirical analysis for Italy," Mo.Fi.R. Working Papers 164, Money and Finance Research group (Mo.Fi.R.) - Univ. Politecnica Marche - Dept. Economic and Social Sciences.
    9. Klasen, Stephan & Villalobos, Carlos, 2020. "Diverging identification of the poor: A non-random process. Chile 1992–2017," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    10. Christopher House & John Laitner & Dmitriy Stolyarov, 2006. "Home Production by Dual Earner Couples and Consumption During Retirement," Working Papers wp143, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    11. Yang, Feng-An & Chang, Hung-Hao, 2023. "Impact of a pension program on healthcare utilization among older farmers: Empirical evidence from health claims data," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    12. Vidhya Unnikrishnan & Subhasish Dey, 2023. "Political meddling in social assistance programme: Panel data evidence from India," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(6), pages 1346-1364, August.
    13. Yanjun Ren & Weigang Liu & Xuexi Huo & Thomas Glauben, 2023. "The impact of old‐age pension on nutritional outcomes: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(S1), pages 1358-1381, December.
    14. Madeline E. Duhon & Edward Miguel & Amos Njuguna & Daniela Pinto Veizaga & Michael W. Walker, 2023. "Preparing for an Aging Africa: Data-Driven Priorities for Economic Research and Policy," NBER Working Papers 31750, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Jones, Carol Adaire & Milkove, Daniel & Paszkiewicz, Laura, 2010. "Farm Household Well-Being: Comparing Consumption- and Income-Based Measures," Economic Research Report 58299, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    16. Jurgen Faik & Uwe Fachinger, 2013. "The decomposition of well-being categories: An application to Germany," Working Papers 307, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    17. Guilherme Fonseca Travassos & Alexandre Bragança Coelho & Mary Paula Arends-Kuenning, 2022. "Poverty Among The Elderly: An Application of a Collective Consumption Model in Brazil," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 163(2), pages 925-951, September.
    18. Hoffmann, Rasmus, 2011. "Socioeconomic inequalities in old-age mortality: A comparison of Denmark and the USA," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(12), pages 1986-1992, June.
    19. Debra L. Brucker & Katie Jajtner & Sophie Mitra, 2022. "Does Social Security promote food security? Evidence for older households," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(2), pages 671-686, June.
    20. Michael D. Hurd & Susann Rohwedder, 2010. "The Effects of the Economic Crisis on the Older Population," Working Papers wp231, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Elderly poverty; Population aging; Poverty measurement; Public pensions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kob:dpaper:dp2021-23. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Office of Promoting Research Collaboration, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/rikobjp.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.