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The retirement consumption puzzle revisited: Evidence from the mandatory retirement policy in China

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  • Li, Hongbin
  • Shi, Xinzheng
  • Wu, Binzhen

Abstract

Using data from China's Urban Household Survey and exploiting China's mandatory retirement policy, we use the regression discontinuity approach to estimate the impact of retirement on household expenditures. Retirement reduces total non-durable expenditures by 19%. Among the categories of non-durable expenditures, retirement reduces work-related expenditures and expenditures on food consumed at home but has an insignificant effect on expenditures on entertainment. After excluding these three components, retirement does not have an effect on the remaining non-durable expenditures. It suggests that the retirement consumption puzzle might not be a puzzle if an extended life-cycle model with home production is considered.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Hongbin & Shi, Xinzheng & Wu, Binzhen, 2016. "The retirement consumption puzzle revisited: Evidence from the mandatory retirement policy in China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 623-637.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcecon:v:44:y:2016:i:3:p:623-637
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jce.2015.06.001
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    3. Yingying Dong & Dennis Tao Yang, 2017. "Mandatory Retirement And The Consumption Puzzle: Disentangling Price And Quantity Declines," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(4), pages 1738-1758, October.
    4. Marini, Andrea, 2024. "Updating the retirement-consumption puzzle in Italy: who are the most affected?," Working Paper Series 2936, European Central Bank.
    5. Xiaofeng Lv & Kun Lin & Lingshan Chen & Yongzhong Zhang, 2022. "Does Retirement Affect Household Energy Consumption Structure? Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-14, September.
    6. Lin Xie & Yuan-yang Wu & Ying-xi Shen & Wen-chao Zhang & An-qi Zhang & Xue-yu Lin & Shi-ming Ti & Yi-tong Yu & Hua-lei Yang, 2021. "Effect of Retirement on Work Hours: Evidence From China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 157(2), pages 671-688, September.
    7. Lei, Xiaoyan & Liu, Hong, 2018. "Gender difference in the impact of retirement on cognitive abilities: Evidence from urban China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 1425-1446.
    8. Nicola Francescutto, 2024. "Retirement decision and household's gasoline consumption: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design," IRENE Working Papers 24-01, IRENE Institute of Economic Research.
    9. Gustafsson Björn & Nivorozhkina Ludmila & Wan Haiyuan, 2021. "Working beyond the normal retirement age in urban China and urban Russia," IZA Journal of Development and Migration, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 12(1), pages 1-21, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Retirement; Consumption puzzle; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • O53 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Asia including Middle East

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