Survivors Benefits and Conjugal Behavior. Evidence from the Netherlands

Julie Tréguier () and Simon Rabate
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Julie Tréguier: EconomiX - EconomiX - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

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Abstract: This paper investigates the impact of survivors insurance on marital behavior. We study the 1996 Dutch reform which considerably tightened eligibility rules to survivors' benefits. Exploiting a discontinuity in date of birth eligibility to survivors insurance and using a rich and exhaustive Dutch population administrative dataset, we carry out a regression discontinuity design and we find no evidence of the reform on divorce probability. Exploring possible explanations for our zero-effect result, we study how labor supply responses can compensate the income drop the reform induced. We find a strong increase in the labor force participation of widows after the reform. However this response does not completely offset the decrease in income generated form the cut in survivors benefits.

Keywords: divorce; marriage dissolution; survivor benefits; labor supply; income effect; unearned income (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04159749
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Working Paper: Survivors Benefits and Conjugal Behavior. Evidence from the Netherlands (2021)
Working Paper: Survivors Benefits and Conjugal Behavior. Evidence from the Netherlands (2021)
Working Paper: Survivors Benefits and Conjugal Behavior. Evidence from the Netherlands (2021)
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