Analysis of a longitudinal file of collectively bargained pension plans found dramatic increases in benefit levels; reductions in early, normal, and deferred retirement ages; and declines in age at which pension values peak. Findings indicate that employer-provided pensions can and will play an important role in inducing people to remain on their…

Health plays a vital role in the decision making process of retirement for an employee. The changes in retirement expectations are driven to a much greater degree by change in health rather than change in income or wealth.

This study found that compensating differentials exist in final salary and initial pension benefits, that large pension plans and collectively bargained plans provide larger postretirement benefit increases, and that benefit increases are larger in percentage terms for those who have been retired the longest and for those with the most years of…

Reports the results of testing a microeconomic model of the effects of fringe benefits on labor mobility. Results indicate that the probability of worker mobility drops 20 percent when a pension promise is made to male workers. Females' response is somewhat less. Other fringes affect turnover less strongly. (CT)

According to data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Older Men 1966-80, workers reporting age discrimination were much more likely to quit. Job separations were higher among workers who were relatively old, were constrained by health problems, or earned high wages and were lower among those who were married, well educated, or in the public…

This longitudinal analysis of the labor market behavior of older males focuses on changes from wage-and-salary to self-employment and changes from working to nonworking status. It was found that the self-employed were significantly more likely to continue work. (Author/SK)

According to data from the Newly Entitled Beneficiary Survey and the 1979 and 1988 Current Population Survey, much of the gender gap in pensions is caused by gender differences in such labor market characteristics as experience, tenure, and income. Children and marriage have a negative effect on females' pensions, although not for more recent…

Social Security program has over the period become unsustainable from tax finance and imply reforms that would cut down on benefits of the elderly. The implications are that elderly may have to increase their post-retirement working, reduce consumption and opt for shared living rather than independent living conditions. The last of the three…

Analyses of data from the March 1975 Current Population Survey reveal that Supplemental Security Income participation probabilities are positively related to the level of available benefits. Other factors such as limited information, stigma, and the bureaucratic complexities of the enrollment process appear to be significant barriers to…

The changes in living arrangements of elderly South African women when they become eligible for pension is documented in detail. Once a woman becomes pension-eligible, the number of co-resident women in their 30s are reduced and children below 5 years increase. The elderly woman assumes a caretaker role for her grandchildren in return for support…

Builds upon Lazear's empirical explanation of mandatory retirement by adding these testable implications: the relationships between mandatory retirement and (1) specific on-the-job training, (2) vested pension plans, and (3) costs of monitoring worker performance. Indicates that a comprehensive explanation requires consideration of human capital…

The Social Security Administration's Retirement History Study was used to study the microeconomic determinants of early retirement among white married men aged 58-63. Factors analysis of personal and financial characteristics, local labor market conditions, and certain job attributes revealed that Health status and eligibility for pensions are the…

Alternative models of the choice of retirement state are estimated on a sample of white married males from the Retirement History Survey, 1967-73. Findings suggest that the critical choice for a large number of older workers appears to be that of labor force participation first, with either partial or full-time employment determined conditionally…

Special issue articles discuss the following aspects of the Health and Retirement Study: retirement measures, health measures, family structure and transfer, economic status, racial and ethnic differences, transfer behavior, race and education differences in disability and labor force status, evaluation of the subjective probabilities of survival,…