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Bequests and Informal Long-Term Care: Evidence from HRS Exit Interviews

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  • Max Groneck

Abstract

Informal long-term caregiving for frail elderly individuals by their children may induce parents to compensate their children for their help. To test this hypothesis, I use the exit interview from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). My results show that the decision to care for one’s parents has a significant positive impact on the incidence and amount of bequests received. In addition, increasing the amount of care relative to one’s siblings significantly increases the proportion of bequest within a family. Furthermore, I find that the positive nexus of caregiving and bequest requires a written will as a contract between the parent and the helping child.

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  • Max Groneck, 2017. "Bequests and Informal Long-Term Care: Evidence from HRS Exit Interviews," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 52(2), pages 531-572.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:52:y:2017:i:2:p:531-572
    Note: DOI: 10.3368/jhr.52.2.1214-6839R1
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    2. Kim, Kyeongkuk & Lee, Sang-Hyop & Halliday, Timothy J., 2021. "Intra-familial transfers, son preference, and retirement behavior in South Korea," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    3. Bérengère Davin & Xavier Joutard & Alain Paraponaris, 2019. ""If You Were Me": Proxy Respondents' Biases in Population Health Surveys," Working Papers halshs-02036434, HAL.
    4. Korfhage, Thorben, 2019. "Long-run consequences of informal elderly care and implications of public long-term care insurance," Ruhr Economic Papers 813, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    5. Francesconi, Marco & Pollak, Robert A. & Tabasso, Domenico, 2023. "Unequal bequests," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    6. Bonekamp, Johan & Wouterse, Bram, 2023. "Do different shocks in health matter for wealth?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    7. Canta, Chiara & Cremer, Helmuth, 2019. "Long-term care policy with nonlinear strategic bequests," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 548-566.
    8. Jiang, Nan & Kaushal, Neeraj, 2020. "How children's education affects caregiving: Evidence from parent’s last years of life," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    9. Eric French & Rory McGee & John Bailey Jones, 2022. "Savings after retirement," IFS Working Papers W22/53, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
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    11. Christine Ho, 2019. "Child’s gender, parental monetary investments and care of elderly parents in China," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 741-774, September.
    12. Emanuele Ciani & Claudio Deiana, 2018. "No free lunch, buddy: past housing transfers and informal care later in life," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 971-1001, December.
    13. St-Amour, Pascal, 2024. "Valuing life over the life cycle," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    14. Andrew Caplin & Mi Luo & Kathleen McGarry, 2018. "Measuring And Modeling Intergenerational Links In Relation To Long‐Term Care," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 56(1), pages 100-113, January.

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