AN NBER PUBLICATION
ISSUE: No. 1, March 2023
The Bulletin on Retirement and Disability
A free digital quarterly summarizing research in the NBER's Retirement and Disability Research Center
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, workers ages 50 to 70 were about 10 percent less likely to be working relative to pre-pandemic levels. Unlike in previous recessions, when older workers turned to Social Security disability insurance or retirement benefits, the drop in employment in the pandemic’s first year was accompanied by a decline in applications for disability insurance and no significant change in retirement applications.
As the pandemic...
Article
Many older American households approaching retirement age have accumulated little in the way of retirement savings. Over the past two decades, behavioral researchers have explored a variety of potential “nudges” designed to increase retirement savings. Many of these interventions have been shown to have substantial impacts on retirement savings behavior. However, validating, comparing, and selecting from different approaches can be difficult. Existing studies differ in...
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For American workers anticipating receiving Social Security retirement benefits, the solvency of the Social Security system is a relevant and pressing concern. The OASDI Social Security trust funds represent the accumulated surplus that remains from payroll tax income paid into the system by current workers minus benefits paid out to current beneficiaries. Current projections are that the combined OASDI funds, including both Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (retirement)...
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The NBER Retirement and Disability Research Center (RDRC) has two competitive training programs for junior scholars. The RDRC is funded by a cooperative agreement with the Social Security Administration through its Retirement and Disability Research Consortium.
In a typical year, the programs provide training and education for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows who are engaged in research focused on topics related to Social Security's Old-Age, Survivors,...
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Recently approved papers
NB22-01: Older Workers’ Employment and Social Security Spillovers through the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Gopi Shah Goda, Emilie Jackson, Lauren Hersch Nicholas, and Sarah Stith
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a large and immediate drop in employment among US workers, along with major expansions of unemployment insurance and work from home. We use Current Population Survey and Social Security application data to study...
The Bulletin on Retirement and Disability summarizes selected recent Working Papers. It is distributed digitally to economists and other interested persons for informational and discussion purposes. The Bulletin is not copyrighted and may be reproduced freely with attribution of source.
Working Papers produced as part of the NBER's research program are distributed to make preliminary research results available to economists in the hope of encouraging discussion and suggestions for revision before final publication. Neither Working Papers nor issues of the Bulletin on Retirement and Disability are reviewed by the Board of Directors of the NBER.
The Bulletin on Retirement and Disability is edited by Courtney Coile.