Age/work policies tending to exclude the elderly from the workforce include underlying social, cultural and psychological mechanisms. Four ideal-typical models are discussed: employer rationality; rivalry; time preference; and stereotyping. Policy-oriented research is relevant to legal and constitutional issues of age discrimination. (Author)

Raising the age of mandatory retirement will retard the rate of promotional prospects only slightly in the economy. Larger delays will occur for top positions. Individual firms may experience greater delays depending on their rate of growth, previous retirement age, and willingness of older workers to remain on the job. (Author)