Social Security and elderly labor supply: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

James P. Vere

Labour Economics, 2011, vol. 18, issue 5, 676-686

Abstract: This study uses panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to estimate the effects of Social Security income on elderly labor supply in the 1990s and early 2000s. The identification strategy takes advantage of the 1977 amendments to the Social Security Act, which led to a large, unanticipated reduction in Social Security benefits for those born after January 1, 1917. Despite the advanced age of the notch cohorts, there is a significant, negative and surprisingly elastic relationship between Social Security income and hours of work. This suggests that currently proposed reductions in benefits would induce Social Security recipients to work more hours in retirement, even through their 70s and early 80s.

Keywords: Social; Security; Labor; supply; Notch; cohorts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:labeco:v:18:y:2011:i:5:p:676-686

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