Università della Svizzera italiana

Unhealthy retirement? Evidence of occupation heterogeneity

Mazzonna, Fabrizio ; Peracchi, Franco

We investigate the causal effect of retirement on health and cognitive abilities by exploiting the variation between and within European countries in old age retirement rules. We show negative and significant effect of retirement on both health and cognitive abilities. We also show evidence of significant heterogeneity across occupational groups. In particular, the negative effect of...

Università della Svizzera italiana

Fiscal federalism and income redistribution through healthcare financing : an empirical analysis for the Swiss cantons.

Crivelli, Luca ; Salari, Paola

Previous studies have viewed Swiss health-care financing as particularly regressive. However, as the OECD Review of the Swiss Health System (2011) stated, the income-related inequities and the inter cantonal variations are still unexplored due to a lack of available information. The present paper aims to fill this information gap concerning the Swiss health system by exploring the...

Università della Svizzera italiana

Sharing high growth across generations : pensions and demographic transition in China

Song, Zheng ; Storesletten, Kjetil ; Wang, Yikai ; Zilibotti, Fabrizio

Intergenerational inequality and old-age poverty are salient isuues in contemporary China. China's aging population threatens the fiscal sustainability of its pension system, a key vehicle for intergenerational redistribution. We analyze the positive and normative effects of alternative pension reforms, using a dynamic general equilibrium model that incorporates population dynamics and...

Università della Svizzera italiana

With strings attached : grandparent-provided child care, fertility, and female labor market outcomes

Garcia-Moran, Eva ; Kuehn, Zoe

Grandparents are regular providers of free child care. Similar to any other form of child care, availability of grandparent-provided child care affects fertility and labor market decisions of women positively. We find that women in Germany, residing close to parents or in-laws are more likely to have children and that as mothers they are more likely to hold a regular part-or fulltime job....

Università della Svizzera italiana

When the state mirrors the family : the design of pension systems

Galasso, Vincenzo ; Profeta, Paola

We study how the prevailing internal organization of the family affected the initial design of pension systems. Our theoretical framework predicts that, in society with weak family ties, pensions systems were introduced to act as a safety net, while in societies with strong ties they replicate the tight link between generations by providing generous benefits. Using a historical...