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Insights in the Economics of Aging

The fraction of the population over age sixty-five in many developed countries is projected to rise, in some cases sharply, in coming decades. This has drawn growing interest to research on the health and economic circumstances of individuals as they age. Many individuals are retiring from paid work, yet they are living longer than ever. Their well-being is shaped by their past decisions such as their saving behavior, as well as by current and future economic conditions, health status, medical innovations, and a rapidly evolving landscape of policy incentives and supports.
The contributions to Insights in the Economics of Aging uncover how financial, physical, and emotional well-being are integrally related. The authors consider the interactions between financial circumstances in later life, such as household savings and home ownership, physical circumstances such as health and disability, and emotional well-being, including happiness and mental health.

400 pages | 20 halftones, 63 line drawings, 114 tables | 6 x 9 | © 2017

National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report

Economics and Business: Economics--Econometrics and Statistics, Economics--Government Finance, Health Economics

Reviews

"This volume has a great deal to offer readers and will be essential reading for researchers and policy experts interested in population ageing and policy analysis more generally. Each chapter presents an innovative empirical analysis of one element of population ageing. Collectively a wide array of topics is covered, from individual decision-making and welfare to systemic challenges to institutional design. Each study is executed and presented to a very high standard, significantly adding to our understanding while stimulating research into new areas."

Economic Record

Table of Contents

Preface
 
Introduction

David A. Wise and Richard Woodbury
 
1. Trends in Pension Cash-Out at Job Change and the Effects on Long-Term Outcomes
Philip Armour, Michael D. Hurd, and Susann Rohwedder
Comment: James M. Poterba
 
2. Liquidity in Retirement Savings Systems: An International Comparison
John Beshears, James J. Choi, Joshua Hurwitz, David Laibson, and Brigitte C. Madrian
Comment: Daniel McFadden
 
3. House Price Volatility and the Housing Ladder
James Banks, Richard Blundell, Zoë Oldfield, and James P. Smith
Comment: Steven F. Venti
 
4. What Determines End-of-Life Assets? A Retrospective View
James M. Poterba, Steven F. Venti, and David A. Wise
Comment: Brigitte C. Madrian
 
5. Understanding the Improvement in Disability-Free Life Expectancy in the US Elderly Population
Michael Chernew, David M. Cutler, Kaushik Ghosh, and Mary Beth Landrum
Comment: Jonathan Skinner
 
6. Are Black-White Mortality Rates Converging? Acute Myocardial Infarction in the United States, 1993–2010
Amitabh Chandra, Tyler Hoppenfeld, and Jonathan Skinner
Comment: David R. Weir
 
7. Measuring Disease Prevalence in Surveys: A Comparison of Diabetes Self-Reports, Biomarkers, and Linked Insurance Claims
Florian Heiss, Daniel McFadden, Joachim Winter, Amelie Wuppermann, and Yaoyao Zhu
Comment: James P. Smith      
 
8. Challenges in Controlling Medicare Spending: Treating Highly Complex Patients
Thomas MaCurdy and Jay Bhattacharya
Comment: Hidehiko Ichimura
 
9. Movies, Margins, and Marketing: Encouraging the Adoption of Iron-Fortified Salt
Abhijit Banerjee, Sharon Barnhardt, and Esther Duflo
 
10. Suicide, Age, and Well-Being: An Empirical Investigation
Anne Case and Angus Deaton
Comment: David M. Cutler
 
11. Does Retirement Make You Happy? A Simultaneous Equations Approach
Raquel Fonseca, Arie Kapteyn, Jinkook Lee, and Gema Zamarro    
Comment: Anne Case
 
Contributors
Author Index
Subject Index

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