Social Security Programs and Retirement Around the World ─ Disability Insurance Programs and Retirement

In many countries, social security and related government programs provide strong incentives for workers to leave the labor force at a young age. Research has shown that disability insurance programs can play a large role in the departure of older persons from the labor force, as many workers pass through disability insurance on their path from employment to retirement. But what is the real effect that disability insurance programs have on labor-force participation in different countries? InSocial Security Programs and Retirement Around the World, renowned economist David A. Wise authoritatively tackles this question. Fifth in the series, this volume’s research encompasses the globe, traveling from Belgium to Canada to Japan and the United States, and covers the provisions of disability insurance programs as well as other pathways to retirement in over twelve countries. Presented in an easily comparable way, the findings inSocial Security Programs and Retirement Around the World have profound implications for how the provisions of a country’s disability insurance program affect retirement.

David A. Wise is the John F. Stambaugh Professor of Political Economy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is the area director of Health and Retirement Programs and director of the Program on the Economics of Aging at the National Bureau of Economic Research.