Short- and long-run estimates of the local effects of retirement on health

Publication type

Journal Article

Authors

Publication date

October 15, 2016

Summary:

We explore the existence of short- and long-term effects of retirement on health. Short-term effects are estimated with a regression discontinuity design which is robust to weak instruments and where the underlying assumptions of continuity of potential outcomes are uncontroversial. To identify the long-term effects we propose a parametric model which, under strong assumptions, can separate normal deterioration of health from the causal effects of retirement. We apply our framework to the British Household Panel Survey and find that retirement has little effect on health. However, our estimates suggest that retirement opens the gate to a sedentary life with an impoverished social component and this is a channel through which retirement could indirectly affect health in the long run.

Published in

Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A (Statistics in Society)

Volume and page numbers

Volume: 179 , p.1 -1

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/rssa.12156

ISSN

9641998

Subjects

#523926

News

Latest findings, new research

Publications search

Search all research by subject and author

Podcasts

Researchers discuss their findings and what they mean for society

Projects

Background and context, methods and data, aims and outputs

Events

Conferences, seminars and workshops

Survey methodology

Specialist research, practice and study

Taking the long view

ISER's annual report

Themes

Key research themes and areas of interest