After a long decline, the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of older men in the United States leveled off in the 1980s, and began to increase in the late 1990s. We examine how changes in Social Security rules affected these trends. We attribute only a small portion of the decline from the 1960s-80s to the increasing generosity of Social…

Rule changes in the social security system and pension plans suggest that labor force participation rates for men aged 55 to 64 fell by 20 percent from 1970 through 1986 because of the increase in social security benefits and a change in private pension rules encouraging earlier retirement. (Author/JOW)

Current Population Survey data were used to examine men's later labor force participation for the 1895-1934 birth cohorts. A substantial portion of differences may be attributed to changing levels of social security benefits, the proportion of workers receiving disability benefits, and the unemployment rate. (SK)

Work attachment of men aged 58-63 fell dramatically from 1969-89, with a sharp reduction at age 62 that is probably due to Social Security's early retirement provision. Nonpension income and the interaction between private pensions, personal assets, and Social Security may also play a large role. (SK)

Recent studies of retirement have recognized the importance of pension plans and social security on the retirement decisions. A pension system that is neutral with respect to the timing of benefits encourages or discourages the acceptance of these benefits and subsequent job separation at any particular age only to the extent that any asset…

A competing-risk model was used to test the influence of strenuous work on ability to delay retirement. Hazard rate estimates on data from 3,038 older males found that physical job requirements and health conditions affect the likelihood of retiring in a disabled state. Strenuous and sedentary jobs did not differ greatly. (SK)

Social Security earnings tests do not deter women from working, whereas men respond to current benefits and their labor force participation is inhibited by the tests. Increases in the delayed retirement benefit increased the labor supply of older women, but not older men. (SK)

Examines the health of a sample population, men aged 45-59 in 1969, who retired before age 62 between 1966-1975. Compares the health of men receiving Social Security disability benefits with that of men reporting work-limiting health conditions at retirement but not receiving Social Security disability benefits. (Author/SK)

Analysis of Current Population Survey and Social Security data through 1985 did not support hypothesis that increase in median earnings of Black men after 1964 reflects labor force withdrawal of large numbers of low-income Black men who received government transfers. Of the total gain in relative earnings from 1964-85, only 14 percent can be…

A matched sample of Social Security and Current Population Survey records is used to determine life-cycle earnings patterns of White males. Estimated effects of schooling and experience compare well with other studies, but interaction effects with cohort do not. Military experience plays a powerful role in earnings differences across cohorts.…

A simulation of the effects of proposed changes in Social Security rules (elimination of the Retirement Earnings Test and an increase in the Delayed Retirement Credit) for men working after retirement age demonstrated a rise in long-run costs by $43 billion in taxes and an increase of only 3.5 percent in the supply of older workers. (Author/SK)

Using a time series analysis to test the net empirical importance of the substitution and wealth effects associated with social security on the market of work of younger men, it was found that hours per week worked would have fallen off since 1936 without the present social security system. (Author)