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Reference Points for Retirement Behavior: Evidence From German Pension Discontinuities

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  • Arthur Seibold

Abstract

This paper studies the large concentration of retirement behavior around statutory retirement ages, a puzzling stylized fact. To investigate this fact, I estimate bunching responses to 644 pension benefit discontinuities, using administrative data on the universe of German retirees. Financial incentives alone cannot explain retirement patterns, but there is a large direct effect of statutory retirement ages. I argue that the framing of statutory ages as reference points for retirement provides a plausible explanation. Simulations based on a model with reference dependence highlight that shifting statutory ages via pension reforms is an effective policy to influence retirement behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Arthur Seibold, 2020. "Reference Points for Retirement Behavior: Evidence From German Pension Discontinuities," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2020_226, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2020_226
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    File URL: https://www.crctr224.de/research/discussion-papers/archive/dp226
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Riphahn, Regina T. & Schrader, Rebecca, 2023. "Reforms of an early retirement pathway in Germany and their labor market effects," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(3), pages 304-330, July.
    2. Becker, Sebastian & Buslei, Hermann & Geyer, Johannes & Haan, Peter, 2022. "The Effect of Pension Wealth on Employment," IZA Discussion Papers 15836, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Clifford, Sarah & Mavrokonstantis, Panos, 2021. "Tax enforcement using a hybrid between self- and third-party reporting," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    4. Sebastian Becker & Hermann Buslei & Johannes Geyer & Peter Haan, 2021. "Employment Responses to Income Effect: Evidence from Pension Reform," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1941, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Pensions; retirement; reference dependence;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

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