Work, Retirement, and Social Networks at Older Ages

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This paper examines the impact of work and retirement on the size, density, and composition of social networks for older Americans. It uses novel panel data from the first two waves of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP). Critical components of the analysis include the development of an instrumental variable fixed-effect estimation strategy based on Social Security age-eligibility rules to isolate the causal effect of labor supply on networks.

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