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Changing Social Security Survivorship Benefits and the Poverty of Widows

In: The Economic Effects of Aging in the United States and Japan

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  • Michael D. Hurd
  • David A. Wise

Abstract

The paper considers the effect on widows' poverty of changes in Social Security survivorship benefits, by a reduction in couples' benefits so that total Social Security cost is unchanged. A twenty percent increase in survivorship benefits, for example, would reduce the 1989 poverty rate of widows aged 65 to 69 by about twenty-four percent, from 0.25 to 0.19. The poverty rate of couples would be increased by about thirty-three percent, from about 0.06 to about 0.08.
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Suggested Citation

  • Michael D. Hurd & David A. Wise, 1996. "Changing Social Security Survivorship Benefits and the Poverty of Widows," NBER Chapters, in: The Economic Effects of Aging in the United States and Japan, pages 319-332, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberch:8471
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Karen Holden & Richard Burkhauser & Daniel Feaster, 1988. "The timing of falls into poverty after retirement and widowhood," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 25(3), pages 405-414, August.
    2. Hurd, Michael D, 1990. "Research on the Elderly: Economic Status, Retirement, and Consumption and Saving," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 28(2), pages 565-637, June.
    3. Michael D. Hurd & John B. Shoven, 1985. "Inflation Vulnerability, Income, and Wealth of the Elderly, 1969- 1979," NBER Chapters, in: Horizontal Equity, Uncertainty, and Economic Well-Being, pages 125-178, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Richard Burkhauser & Karen Holden & Daniel Myers, 1986. "Marital disruption and poverty: The role of survey procedures in artificially creating poverty," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 23(4), pages 621-631, November.
    5. Hurd, Michael D, 1989. "Mortality Risk and Bequests," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 57(4), pages 779-813, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tilman Bruck & Kati Schindler, 2009. "The Impact of Violent Conflicts on Households: What Do We Know and What Should We Know about War Widows?," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(3), pages 289-309.
    2. Yung-Ting Su, 2008. "Looking Beyond Retirement: Patterns and Predictors of Formal End-of-Life Planning Among Retirement Age Individuals," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 654-673, December.
    3. Tilman Brück & Kati Schindler, 2008. "The Impact of Conflict and Fragility on Households: A Conceptual Framework with Reference to Widows," WIDER Working Paper Series RP2008-83, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Yue Li, 2018. "Economic Analysis Of Social Security Survivors Insurance," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 59(4), pages 2043-2073, November.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions

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