scholarly journals A Nudge to Quit? The Effect of a Change in Pension Information on Annuitization, Labour Supply, and Retirement Choices Among Older Workers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Hagen ◽  
Daniel Hallberg ◽  
Gabriella Sjögren Lindquist

Abstract We study the effects of two exogenous modifications in the Swedish pension system application form nudging individuals towards a fixed-term payout. Meanwhile, the set of available options and the default option—life annuity—were unchanged during the period under study. We examine the effects on individuals’ payout decisions and the spillover effects on labour supply and other pensions using a difference-in-difference framework and detailed administrative data on actual payout decisions and a wide range of individual-level outcomes. Each modification increased the demand for the nudged payout by around 30 percentage points. The first modification also induced individuals to work less.

Author(s):  
German Caruso ◽  
Christian Gomez Canon ◽  
Valerie Mueller

Abstract In the wake of the Venezuelan crisis, Colombian migrants are returning to their place of birth. Since 2016, however, there has been a spike of immigration to Colombia attributable to inflows of the Venezuelan-born. Using high-frequency administrative data, we estimate the impacts of the recent labour supply shock–driven by the economic predicament in Venezuela–on the labour and poverty outcomes of native Colombians. We employ an instrumental variables approach to account for the selection of immigrants into locations with more or less desirable conditions. A 1 percentage point increase in immigration from Venezuela reduces informal sector wages by 10 percentage points in urban areas. As the crisis increased the fraction of migrants by 0.2 percentage points in 2017, we estimate urban wages decreased by a total of 2 percentage points. A dual-pronged approach is warranted to promote the economic assimilation of Venezuelans while protecting the job security of Colombians.


Author(s):  
David M. Wineroither ◽  
Rudolf Metz

AbstractThis report surveys four approaches that are pivotal to the study of preference formation: (a) the range, validity, and theoretical foundations of explanations of political preferences at the individual and mass levels, (b) the exploration of key objects of preference formation attached to the democratic political process (i.e., voting in competitive elections), (c) the top-down vs. bottom-up character of preference formation as addressed in leader–follower studies, and (d) gene–environment interaction and the explanatory weight of genetic predisposition against the cumulative weight of social experiences.In recent years, our understanding of sites and processes of (individual) political-preference formation has substantially improved. First, this applies to a greater variety of objects that provide fresh insight into the functioning and stability of contemporary democracy. Second, we observe the reaffirmation of pivotal theories and key concepts in adapted form against widespread challenge. This applies to the role played by social stratification, group awareness, and individual-level economic considerations. Most of these findings converge in recognising economics-based explanations. Third, research into gene–environment interplay rapidly increases the number of testable hypotheses and promises to benefit a wide range of approaches already taken and advanced in the study of political-preference formation.


Author(s):  
Michele J. Gelfand ◽  
Nava Caluori ◽  
Sarah Gordon ◽  
Jana Raver ◽  
Lisa Nishii ◽  
...  

Research on culture has generally ignored social situations, and research on social situations has generally ignored culture. In bringing together these two traditions, we show that nations vary considerably in the strength of social situations, and this is a key conceptual and empirical bridge between macro and distal cultural processes and micro and proximal psychological processes. The model thus illustrates some of the intervening mechanisms through which distal societal factors affect individual processes. It also helps to illuminate why cultural differences persist at the individual level, as they are adaptive to chronic differences in the strength of social situations. The strength of situations across cultures can provide new insights into cultural differences in a wide range of psychological processes.


Author(s):  
Anne Skevik Grødem ◽  
Ragni Hege Kitterød

The Norwegian pension system has provided unprecedented flexibility to combine work and pension drawing from the age of 62, and this has become a popular option. Using qualitative interviews with 28 older workers, we explore their information strategies and motivations. We find that many informants struggle to understand the various options and their consequences and use different strategies to shield themselves from insecurity: they downplay the issue or point to factors beyond their control. Two key motives for early pension take-up are the desire to secure the money for one’s family in the event of early death and to get the money while still vigorous. Informants typically imagine life after 80 as quiet and with fewer material demands. In conclusion, the analysis shows how adaptations to the flexible pension system are embedded in notions of ageing, institutional trust, and a newfound sense of ownership regarding one’s retirement savings.


Author(s):  
Amy Davidoff ◽  
Lisa Dubay ◽  
Genevieve Kenney ◽  
Alshadye Yemane

This study examines the effects of having an uninsured parent on access to health care for low-income children. Using data from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families, we find that having an uninsured parent decreases the likelihood that a child will have any medical provider visit by 6.5 percentage points, and decreases the likelihood of a well-child visit by 6.7 percentage points. Estimates for low-income children who have insurance but have an uninsured parent indicate a 4.1 percentage-point reduction in the probability of having any medical provider visit, and a similar 4.2 percentage-point reduction in the probability of having a well-child visit relative to those with insured parents. The effects of having an uninsured parent are smaller in magnitude than the effects of a child being uninsured. Efforts to increase insurance coverage of parents, either by extending eligibility for public insurance or through other policy interventions, will have positive spillover effects on access to care for children. Although the magnitude of these effects is small relative to the direct effect of providing insurance to either the child or parent, they should be considered in analyses of costs and benefits of proposed policies.


Author(s):  
Margaret Beetstra ◽  
Robyn Wilson ◽  
Eric Toman

Abstract Across the Midwest, substantial funding and personnel time have been allocated to encourage farmers to adopt a wide range of conservation practices but adoption rates for many of these practices remain low. Prior research focuses largely on the influence of individual-level factors (e.g., beliefs, attitudes) on conservation practice adoption rather than on contextual factors (e.g., seasons) that might also play a role. In the present study, we considered seasonal variation and its potential influence on farmer cover crop decision-making. We first established how farmer temporal and financial resources fluctuate across the year and then compared the annual agricultural decision and cover crop decision calendars. We also considered farmer cover crop perceptions and likely behaviors. To study this, we surveyed the same Midwestern farmers in the spring, summer and winter within a 12-month period. Results indicated that farmers were generally the least busy and the most financially comfortable in the winter months. Moreover, farmers perceived the benefits of cover crops differently throughout the year. These results indicate that seasonality can be a confounding factor which should be considered when designing and conducting research and farmer engagement. As researchers, it is our responsibility to understand the specific calendar experienced by our sample and how that may influence responses so we can examine theory-supported factors of interest rather than seasonality as a driver of farmer responses. As practitioners, it is important to use research findings to engage with farmers about conservation in a way that prioritizes communicating about the most salient aspects of the practice at the time of year when farmers will be most receptive.


2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (99) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Oliver Ehrentraut ◽  
Philipp Kreuzer ◽  
Stefan Moog ◽  
Heidrun Weinelt ◽  
Oliver Bruttel

Der Beitrag untersucht auf Basis eines Simulationsmodells und empirischer Daten die Auswirkungen des gesetzlichen Mindestlohns auf die Rentenversicherung. Dabei werden sowohl die Wirkungen auf das Rentensystem insgesamt als auch die individuellen Rentenansprüche von Beschäftigten analysiert. Auf das Rentensystem insgesamt hat der Mindestlohn praktisch keine Auswirkungen, weil der Impuls des Mindestlohns auf die gesamtwirtschaftliche Lohnsumme letztlich zu gering ist. Auf individueller Ebene können sich die Rentenanwartschaften der Versicherten je nachdem, wie deutlich ihr Verdienst aufgrund der Mindestlohneinführung gestiegen ist, erhöhen. Die Rentenanwartschaften bleiben aber bei einem Verdienst in Höhe des Mindestlohns selbst bei durchgängiger Vollzeitbeschäftigung unter dem Niveau der Grundsicherung im Alter. Abstract: The Effects of Minimum Wage on the Statutory Pension Insurance in Germany In 2015, Germany introduced a national minimum wage. Based on a simulation model and empirical data we analyse its effects on the statutory pension insurance. We will consider aggregate effects on the pension insurance system in total as well as on individual pension entitlements of employees. Our results show that the minimum wage has only negligible effects on the pension system as a whole because the minimum wage induced wage effects on the economy’s total wage bill are rather small. On the individual level, the minimum wage can help to increase individual pension entitlements. The magnitude depends on individual wage increases resulting from the minimum wage introduction. However, even continuous full-time employment at the minimum wage level will not be enough to lift individual pension entitlements above the guaranteed minimum pension level.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 485-508
Author(s):  
Tomoki Fujii ◽  
Roy van der Weide

Abstract It is costly to collect the household- and individual-level data that underlie official estimates of poverty and health. For this reason, developing countries often do not have the budget to update estimates of poverty and health regularly, even though these estimates are most needed there. One way to reduce the financial burden is to substitute some of the real data with predicted data by means of double sampling, where the expensive outcome variable is collected for a subsample and its predictors for all. This study finds that double sampling yields only modest reductions in financial costs when imposing a statistical precision constraint in a wide range of realistic empirical settings. There are circumstances in which the gains can be more substantial, but these denote the exception rather than the rule. The recommendation is to rely on real data whenever there is a need for new data and to use prediction estimators to leverage existing data.


Author(s):  
Philip Carthy ◽  
Aonghus Ó Domhnaill ◽  
Margaret O’Mahony ◽  
Anne Nolan ◽  
Frank Moriarty ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Links between air pollution and asthma are less well established for older adults than some younger groups. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations are widely used as an indicator of transport-related air pollution, and some literature suggests NO2 may directly affect asthma. Methods This study used data on 8162 adults >50 years old in the Republic of Ireland to model associations between estimated annual outdoor concentration of NO2 and the probability of having asthma. Individual-level geo-coded survey data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) were linked to model-based estimates of annual average NO2 at 50 m resolution. Asthma was identified using two methods: self-reported diagnoses and respondents’ use of medications related to obstructive airway diseases. Logistic regressions were used to model the relationships. Results NO2 concentrations were positively associated with the probability of asthma [marginal effect (ME) per 1 ppb of airborne NO2 = 0.24 percentage points asthma self-report, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06–0.42, mean asthma prevalence 0.09; for use of relevant medications ME = 0.21 percentage points, 95% CI 0.049–0.37, mean prevalence 0.069]. Results were robust to varying model specification and time period. Respondents in the top fifth percentile of NO2 exposure had a larger effect size but also greater standard error (ME = 2.4 percentage points asthma self-report, 95% CI −0. 49 to 5.3). Conclusions Associations between local air pollution and asthma among older adults were found at relatively low concentrations. To illustrate this, the marginal effect of an increase in annual average NO2 concentration from sample minimum to median (2.5 ppb) represented about 7–8% of the sample average prevalence of asthma.


2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordi Muñoz ◽  
Eva Anduiza

Social movements often face tactic diversification. In otherwise nonviolent movements, some groups or radical flanks may resort to violent actions such as street rioting. This article analyzes the impact that these violent episodes can have on popular support for the movement as a whole. To estimate the causal effect of violence, it exploits an unexpected riot outbreak that occurred during the fieldwork of a face-to-face survey in Barcelona in May 2016, led by a squat group linked to the anti-austerity movement known as the 15-M or indignados that emerged during the financial crisis. By comparing respondents interviewed before and after the riots, it finds that the street violence episode reduced support for the 15-M movement by 12 percentage points on average. However, the magnitude of the effect is highly conditional on the respondents’ predispositions towards the movement. Core supporters, that are expected to share the frame of the movement in justifying violent actions, are the least affected by the violent outbreak. On the other extreme, weak supporters, opposers, and non-aligned citizens reduce their support to a larger extent. Results are robust to different specifications and a wide range of robustness checks. These findings have potentially important implications for movements concerned with broadening their support base.


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