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The Retirement Behavior of Federal Civil Service Workers

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  • Beth Asch

    (RAND)

  • Steve Haider

    (RAND)

  • Julie Zissimopoulos

    (RAND)

Abstract

We examine the retirement behavior of federal civil service workers. This research contributes to the literature that more generally examines how retirement behavior responds to financial incentives. The civil service workers in our study provide an interesting case study because they do not participate in the Social Security system, they are only covered by a defined benefit pension plan, and this pension plan is significantly different from the Social Security system in the structure of its incentives. Moreover, there is widespread concern among policy makers of a pending retirement crisis in the federal civil service. Relying on an option value framework, our main results suggest that federal civil service workers respond to their retirement incentives in a manner that is quite similar to the responses that others have found looking at much different retirement systems. Such a result provides important additional evidence regarding the generality of previous results. On the other hand, unlike previous studies, we find little evidence of a spike in the retirement rate at age 65, nor do we find much evidence of “excess retirements” or a large fraction of retirements at age 65 that are unexplained by our financial incentive model. While past studies have attributed this age 65 effect to “social norms,” those norms do not seem important to the federal civil service workers we study.

Suggested Citation

  • Beth Asch & Steve Haider & Julie Zissimopoulos, 2002. "The Retirement Behavior of Federal Civil Service Workers," Working Papers wp026, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    • Handle: RePEc:mrr:papers:wp026
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Courtney Coile & Jonathan Gruber, 2001. "Social Security Incentives for Retirement," NBER Chapters, in: Themes in the Economics of Aging, pages 311-354, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    3. Courtney Coile & Jonathan Gruber, 2000. "Social Security and Retirement," NBER Working Papers 7830, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. John Ausink & David A. Wise, 1996. "The Military Pension, Compensation, and Retirement of U.S. Air Force Pilots," NBER Chapters, in: Advances in the Economics of Aging, pages 83-114, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. David A. Wise, 1996. "Advances in the Economics of Aging," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number wise96-1.
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