The Effects of an Increase in the Retirement Age on Health – Evidence from Administrative Data

Mara Barschkett (), Johannes Geyer, Peter Haan () and Anna Hammerschmid ()
Additional contact information
Mara Barschkett: University of Bonn
Peter Haan: DIW Berlin
Anna Hammerschmid: DIW Berlin

No 14893, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This study analyzes the causal effect of an increase in the retirement age on health. We exploit a sizable cohort-specific pension reform for women using two complementary empirical approaches – a Regression Discontinuity Design and a Difference-in-Differences approach. The analysis is based on official records covering all individuals insured by the public health system in Germany and including all certified diagnoses by practitioners. This enables us to gain a detailed understanding of the multi-dimensionality in these health effects. The empirical findings reflect the multi-dimensionality but allow for deriving two broader conclusions. We provide evidence that the increase in the retirement age negatively affects health outcomes as the prevalence of several diagnoses, e.g., mental health, musculoskeletal diseases, and obesity, increases. In contrast, we do not find support for an improvement in health related to a prolonged working life since there is no significant evidence for a reduction in the prevalence of any health outcome we consider. These findings hold for both identification strategies, are robust to sensitivity checks, and do not change when correcting for multiple hypothesis testing.

Keywords: ICD-10; health; pension reform; retirement; Germany; Regression Discontinuity Design; Difference-in-Differences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 I12 I18 J14 J18 J26 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 63 pages
Date: 2021-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-age, nep-eur, nep-hea and nep-lma
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published - published in: Journal of the Economics of Ageing, 2022, 23, 100403

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Related works:
Journal Article: The effects of an increase in the retirement age on health — Evidence from administrative data (2022)
Working Paper: The Effects of an Increase in the Retirement Age on Health: Evidence from Administrative Data (2021)
Working Paper: The Effects of an Increase in the Retirement Age on Health - Evidence from Administrative Data (2021)
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