
Retirement and Social Security: A Time Series Approach
Although the long-run decline in labor force participation rates among older men during the 20th century has reversed in recent years, new studies show that the length of time spent in retirement continues to increase. This project will re-examine the historical evidence on retirement behavior over the past five decades, comparing trends in age-specific labor force participation rates with trends in a new life-expectancy adjusted measure of “age” and participation at constant life expectancies. Models will be estimated to show the impact of key policy shifts, such as the introduction of early retirement and disability benefits in Social Security and the creation of Medicare, on participation rates.