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You Better Get Married! Marital Status and Intra-Generational Redistribution of Social Security

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  • Groneck, Max
  • Schön, Matthias
  • Wallenius, Johanna

Abstract

In this paper, we study the intra-generational redistribution of the U.S. social security system in a dynamic, structural life cycle model of couples with uncertain marital status and survival risk. We focus particularly on auxiliary benefits, namely spousal and survivor benefits, where eligibility is directly linked to marital status. We show that marital stability increases strongly with income, leading to redistribution from the bottom to the top. We evaluate the impact of auxiliary social security benefits on both the poverty rate of the elderly and on household labor supply.

Suggested Citation

  • Groneck, Max & Schön, Matthias & Wallenius, Johanna, 2016. "You Better Get Married! Marital Status and Intra-Generational Redistribution of Social Security," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145801, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:vfsc16:145801
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

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