2020 Retirement and Disability Research Consortium Annual Meeting

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The 2020 Retirement and Disability Research Consortium Meeting was held virtually on August 6.

View agenda (in PDF)

View 2020 RDRC Meeting Booklet (in PDF)


Thursday, August 6, 2020


Welcoming remarks 

Katherine N. Bent (U.S. Social Security Administration)
Alicia H. Munnell (Boston College)


Panel 1: Social Security Benefits and Demographic Trends
View Panel 1 summaries (in PDF)
View Panel 1 PowerPoints (in PDF)
View Panel 1 video

Moderator: Karen Glenn (U.S. Social Security Administration)

Do People Work Longer When They Live Longer?
Eugene Steuerle, Damir Cosic, and Aaron Williams (Urban Institute)

The Demographics Behind Aging in Place: Implications for Supplemental Security Income Eligibility and Receipt
Mary K. Hamman (University of Wisconsin-La Crosse)

Misperceptions of the Social Security Earnings Test and the Actuarial Adjustment: Implications for LFP and Earnings
Alexander Gelber (University of California, San Diego and NBER), Damon Jones (University of Chicago and NBER), Ithai Luthrie (U.S. Department of the Treasury), and Daniel Sacks (Indiana University)


Panel 2: Housing as a Resource for Retirees and Those with Disabilities
View Panel 2 summaries (in PDF)
View Panel 2 PowerPoints (in PDF)
View Panel 2 video

Moderator: Thomas Davidoff (University of British Columbia)

Intended Bequests and Housing Equity in Older Age
Gary V. Engelhart (Syracuse University) and Michael D. Eriksen (University of Cincinnati)

Housing Assistance as a Benefit for Household Heads with Disabilities and SSI Takeup
Erik Hembre (University of Illinois at Chicago) and Carly Urban (Montana State University and Institute for Fiscal Studies (IZA))

Home Ownership and Housing Debt in Retirement: Financial Asset for Consumption Smoothing or Albatross Around the Neck of Retirees?
Jason J. Fichtner (Johns Hopkins University)


Keynote address

Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism
Anne Case (Princeton University)
View keynote address video


Panel 3: Health Risks for Work and Finances
View Panel 3 summaries (in PDF)
View Panel 3 PowerPoints (in PDF)
View Panel 3 video

Moderator: Susan Wilschke (U.S. Social Security Administration)

The Interaction of Health, Genetics, and Occupational Demands in SSDI Determinations
Amal Harrati (Stanford University) and Lauren L. Schmitz (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Cognitive Ability, Cognitive Aging, and Debt Accumulation
Marco Angrisani, Jeremy Burke, and Arie Kapteyn (University of Southern California)

Financial Consequences of Health and Healthcare Spending Among Older Couples
Lauren Hersch Nicholas (Johns Hopkins University) and Joanne Hsu (Federal Reserve Board)


Panel 4: State and Local Labor Markets
View Panel 4 summaries (in PDF)
View Panel 4 PowerPoints (in PDF)
View Panel 4 video

Moderator: Kathleen Mullen (RAND Corporation)

Disability Insurance for State and Local Employees: A Lay of the Land
Anek Belbase, Laura D. Quinby, and James Giles (Boston College)

Understanding the Local-Level Predictors of Disability Program Applications, Awards, and Beneficiary Work Activity
Jody Schimmel Hyde and Dara Lee Luca (Mathematica Policy Research), Paul O’Leary (U.S. Social Security Administration), and Jonathan Schwabish (Urban Institute)

The Prevalence of COLA Adjustments in Public Sector Retirement Plans
Maria Fitzpatrick (Cornell University and NBER) and Gopi Shah Goda (Stanford University and NBER)


Panel 5: Labor Markets and Working Conditions
View Panel 5 summaries (in PDF)
View Panel 5 PowerPoints (in PDF)
View Panel 5 video

Moderator: Joseph F. Quinn (Boston College)

The Changing Nature of Work
Italo Lopez-Garcia (RAND Corporation), Nicole Maestas (Harvard Medical School and NBER), and Kathleen Mullen (RAND Corporation)

Employer Incentives in Return to Work Programs: Evidence from Workers’ Compensation
Corina Mommaerts and Naoki Aizawa (University of Wisconsin-Madison and NBER) and Stephanie Rennane (RAND Corporation)

Firm Willingness to Offer Bridge Employment
David Powell and Jeffrey Wenger (RAND Corporation) and Jed Kolko (Indeed.com)


Panel 6: Retirement Finances
View Panel 6 summaries (in PDF)
View Panel 6 PowerPoints (in PDF)
View Panel 6 video

Moderator: Gary V. Engelhardt (Syracuse University)

The Evolution of Late-Life Income and Assets: Measurement in IRS Tax Data and Three Household Surveys
James Choi (Yale University and NBER), Lucas Goodman (U.S. Department of the Treasury), Justin Katz (Harvard University), David Laibson (Harvard University and NBER), and Shanthi P. Ramnath (Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago)

How Much Taxes Will Retirees Owe on Their Retirement Income?
Anqi Chen and Alicia H. Munnell (Boston College)

Broad Framing in Retirement Income Decision Making
Hal E. Hershfield (UCLA), Suzanne B. Shu (Cornell University and NBER), and Stephen A. Spiller and David Zimmerman (UCLA)


Closing remarks
Alicia H. Munnell (Boston College)