2010

The Social Security DI program has long been thought to impose strong work disincentives.  Nevertheless, its causal effect on labor supply has been difficult to estimate. Using a quasi-experimental research design that exploits the fact that DI benefits are payable…

This project will use the Health and Retirement Study to examine the health and economic status of those who collect Social Security early retirement benefits and will predict their behavioral reaction to an increase in the Early Entitlement Age or…

This project proposes to use data from the War Baby cohort (born 1942-1947) of the Health and Retirement Study to extend our previous work using the original cohort (born 1931-1941) comparing household income trajectories for workers who experience disability onset…

Consistency in the disability determination process is important for ensuring accuracy and equity in the provision of Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. Using SSA administrative data on DI applications, we propose to examine the link between variation in the award…

Thus research project proposes to improve our understanding of the work disincentive effects of the Social Security Disability Insurance Program (SSDI) on households. Previous studies of the effects of SSDI have generally focused on applicants to the program and have…

The United States is experiencing the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression.  Housing prices have declined, leaving many with negative equity; falling stock values have substantially reduced household net worth; high and increasing rates of job loss jeopardize the…

Both housing prices and stock market values have declined substantially since their peaks in 2006 and 2007.  Retirees with substantial investments in stock or housing have therefore experienced significant declines in wealth and, potentially, in well-being.  This proposal will use…

This project builds on previous work (Delavande, Rohwedder and Willis, 2008) that develops a formal model of financial knowledge accumulation and establishes evidence on the role of cognition in financial knowledge, using rich data from the Cognitive Economics (CogEcon) survey.…

The recent financial crisis finds many households, in particular, older households, in a precarious situation. Debt, including mortgage debt, is now much more common for the elderly. This proposal would use Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) data to examine…

This project proposes to evaluate the economic rationale for 401(k) plan loans and the empirical determinants of loan patterns. We will show how plan design and participant characteristics contribute to borrowing from one’s pension, as well as default and repayment…