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Is Altruism Important for Understanding the Long-Run Effects of Social Security?

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Author Info
Luisa Fuster

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Abstract

This paper quantifies the effects of social security on capital accumulation and wealth distribution in a life cycle framework with altruistic individuals. The main findings of this paper are that the current U.S. social security system has a significant impact on capital accumulation and wealth distribution. I find that social security crowds out 8\% of the capital stock of an economy without social security. This effect is driven by the distortions of labor supply due to the taxation of labor income rather than by the intergenerational redistribution of income imposed by the social security system. In contrast to previous analysis of social security, I found that social security does not affect the savings rate of the economy. Another interesting finding is that even though the current U.S. social security system is progressive in its benefits, it may lead to a more disperse distribution of wealth.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra in its series Economics Working Papers with number 234.

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Date of creation: Sep 1997
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Handle: RePEc:upf:upfgen:234

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Related research
Keywords: Social security; capital accumulation; altruism; wealth distribution;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy
H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
H22 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Incidence

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References listed on IDEAS
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  1. Edward C. Prescott, 1986. "Theory ahead of business cycle measurement," Quarterly Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, issue Fall, pages 9-22. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Mark Huggett, 1995. "The one-sector growth model with idiosyncratic shocks," Discussion Paper / Institute for Empirical Macroeconomics 105, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. [Downloadable!]
  3. Zimmerman, David J, 1992. "Regression toward Mediocrity in Economic Stature," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(3), pages 409-29, June.
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  9. Laitner, John, 1992. "Random earnings differences, lifetime liquidity constraints, and altruistic intergenerational transfers," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 135-170, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Luisa Fuster, 1997. "Is Altruism Important for Understanding the Long-Run Effects of Social Security?," Economics Working Papers 234, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra. [Downloadable!]
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  11. Altig, David & Davis, Steven J., 1993. "Borrowing constraints and two-sided altruism with an application to social security," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 467-494, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  12. Luis M. Cubeddu, 1996. "The Intra-Generational Redistributive Effects of Social Security," Economics Working Papers 168, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra. [Downloadable!]
  13. Laitner, John & Juster, F Thomas, 1996. "New Evidence on Altruism: A Study of TIAA-CREF Retirees," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(4), pages 893-908, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Laitner, John, 1991. "Modeling Marital Connections among Family Lines," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(6), pages 1123-41, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Abel, Andrew B, 1985. "Precautionary Saving and Accidental Bequests," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(4), pages 777-91, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Luisa Fuster, 1995. "Altruism, Uncertain Lifetime, and the Distribution of Wealth," Economics Working Papers 150, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra. [Downloadable!]
  17. Hurd, Michael D, 1987. "Savings of the Elderly and Desired Bequests," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 77(3), pages 298-312, June.
  18. Kydland, Finn E & Prescott, Edward C, 1996. "The Computational Experiment: An Econometric Tool," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 10(1), pages 69-85, Winter. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  19. Hansen, G.D., 1991. "The Cyclical and Secular Behavior of the Labor Input : Comparing Efficiency Units and Hours Worked," Papers 36, California Los Angeles - Applied Econometrics.
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  20. Imrohoroglu, Ayse & Imrohoroglu, Selahattin & Joines, Douglas H, 1995. "A Life Cycle Analysis of Social Security," Economic Theory, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 83-114, June.
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Chung Tran & Juergen Jung, 2007. "The Extension of Social Security Coverage in Developing Countries," Caepr Working Papers 2007-026, Center for Applied Economics and Policy Research, Economics Department, Indiana University Bloomington. [Downloadable!]
  2. Luisa Fuster, 1999. "Is Altruism Important for Understanding the Long-Run Effects of Social Security?," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 2(3), pages 616-637, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Sanchez-Romero, Miguel, 2006. "“Demand for Private Annuities and Social Security: Consequences to Individual Wealth”," Working Papers in Economic Theory 2006/07, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain), Department of Economic Analysis (Economic Theory and Economic History). [Downloadable!]
  4. Juan A. Rojas & Carlos Urrutia, 2008. "Social Security with Uninsurable Income Risk and Endogenous Borrowing Constraints," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 11(1), pages 83-103, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Luisa Fuster & Ayse Imrohoroglu & Selahattin Imrohoroglu, 2005. "Personal Security Accounts and Mandatory Annuitization in a Dynastic Framework," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
  6. Hénin, Pierre-Yves & Weitzenblum, Thomas, 2003. "Redistribution through alternative pension reforms: A life-cycle analysis on French occupational groups," CEPREMAP Working Papers (Couverture Orange) 0307, CEPREMAP. [Downloadable!]
  7. Juan A. Rojas & Carlos Urrutia, 2006. "Social Security Reform with Uninsurable Income Risk and Endogenous Borrowing Constraints," Banco de España Working Papers 0602, Banco de España. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Chung Tran, 2008. "Transfers and Labor Market Behavior of the Elderly in Developing Countries: Theory and Evidence from Vietnam," Caepr Working Papers 2008-018, Center for Applied Economics and Policy Research, Economics Department, Indiana University Bloomington. [Downloadable!]
  9. Thomas A. Garrett & Russell M. Rhine, 2005. "Social security versus private retirement accounts: a historical analysis," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, issue Mar, pages 103-121. [Downloadable!]
  10. José-Víctor Ríos-Rull, 2001. "Population Changes and Capital Accumulation: The Aging of the Baby Boom," Advances in Macroeconomics, Berkeley Electronic Press, vol. 1(advances/), pages 1008-1008. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Falilou Fall, 2004. "Pension reform, assets returns and wealth distribution," Cahiers de la Maison des Sciences Economiques v04033, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1). [Downloadable!]
  12. Guido Cazzavillan & Patrick A. Pintus, 2004. "Robustness of Multiple Equilibria in OLG Economies," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 7(2), pages 456-475, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Hairault, Jean-Olivier & Langot, François & Sopraseuth, Thepthida, 2005. "A Quantitative Investigation of the Laffer Curve on the Continued Work Tax: The French Case," IZA Discussion Papers 1499, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  14. John Laitner, 2001. "Secular Changes in Wealth Inequality and Inheritance," Working Papers wp020, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center. [Downloadable!]
  15. Luisa Fuster & Ayse Imrohoroglu & Selahattin Imrohoroglu, 2004. "Elimination of Social Security in a Dynastic Framework," Macroeconomics 0402008, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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