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Variable Retirement and the Effects of Social Insurance on Savings, Wealth, and Welfare

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  • Turnovsky, Stephen J.
  • Bruce, Neil

Abstract

We construct a Blanchard-style overlapping generations model consisting of long-lived individuals who have uninsurable idiosyncratic risk resulting from uncertain retirement periods and medical costs in retirement. Without social insurance, such individuals must save for these eventualities. We examine the impact of pay-as-you-go social insurance policies (public pensions and medicare coverage) on individual and aggregate consumption, saving, and wealth levels as well as wealth distribution. We also derive expressions for optimal (Pareto improving) social insurance policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Turnovsky, Stephen J. & Bruce, Neil, 2007. "Variable Retirement and the Effects of Social Insurance on Savings, Wealth, and Welfare," Economics Discussion Papers 2007-5, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:ifwedp:5519
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Gertler, Mark, 1999. "Government debt and social security in a life-cycle economy," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 61-110, June.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General
    • E10 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - General

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