Does Retirement Affect Voluntary Work Provision? Evidence from England, Ireland and the U.S

41 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2020

See all articles by Peter Eibich

Peter Eibich

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin)

Angelo Lorenti

Max Planck Society for the Advancement of the Sciences - Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research

Irene Mosca

National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUI Maynooth)

Abstract

Voluntary work is an important contribution for many non-profit organizations, such as charities, political and religious organizations. Older individuals make up a sizable share of the volunteer workforce, and volunteering is often regarded as an example of "active ageing". In this study, we examine whether retirement has a causal effect on the frequency of voluntary work provision in three English-speaking countries - England, Ireland and the U.S. We draw on data from the ELSA, TILDA and HRS studies and employ a harmonised approach in the empirical analysis. We use eligibility ages for old age pensions in an instrumental variable estimation to address potential confounding. We find that retirement increases the frequency of voluntary work provision in all three countries, especially among men. This suggests that labour market policies aimed at increasing labour force participation at older ages might have unintended consequences for the size of the volunteer workforce.

Keywords: voluntary work, instrumental variable, retirement

JEL Classification: J22, J26

Suggested Citation

Eibich, Peter and Lorenti, Angelo and Mosca, Irene, Does Retirement Affect Voluntary Work Provision? Evidence from England, Ireland and the U.S. IZA Discussion Paper No. 13153, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3579245 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3579245

Peter Eibich (Contact Author)

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) ( email )

Mohrenstraße 58
Berlin, 10117
Germany

Angelo Lorenti

Max Planck Society for the Advancement of the Sciences - Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research

Doberaner Str. 114
Rostock 18057, 53113
Germany

Irene Mosca

National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUI Maynooth) ( email )

Maynooth, County Kildare W23 F2H6
Ireland

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