Redefining the Process of Retirement

Past and future development as well as possibilities for influencing the process of retirement are discussed, in particular effects on the labour market (supply and demand, behaviour of workers and firms, concerning human resource management and occupational pensions), financing of social security and income of workers. Decisions concerning earlier or postponed, full or partial retirement are the main topic stressing the central role of firms' decisions depending e.g. on their view of the productivity of the elderly. Reports on Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Denmark, Finland) in particular on their approach for partial retirement are included as well as papers discussing possibilities to stop the trend of early exit from the labour force and how to give incentives for a longer working life (e.g. by changes in social security). These topics are discussed in the view of structural changes in demography, economy and society, using - among other - the US and West Germany as examples. The papers point out the necessity to look at retirement as a process (in a life cycle perspective, requiring longitudinal data for empirical research) and in a perspective integrating the different aspects involved.

Autorentext
Prof. Dr. Winfried Schmähl ist Direktor der wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Abteilung des Zentrums für Sozialpolitik der Universität Bremen.

Inhalt
I.- Retirement at the Cross-Roads Tasks and Problems Under Changing Economic and Demographic Conditions. Some Introductory Remarks .- II.- The Process of Retirement in Germany: Trends, Public Discussion and Options for its Redefinition.- III.- Early Retirement in Sweden.- The Process of Retirement in Denmark: Trends, Public Discussion and Institutional Framework.- The Flexible Pensionable Age in Finland.- IV.- American Patterns of Work and Retirement.- The Retirement Process in the United States: Mobility Among Full-Time Work, Partial Retirement, and Full Retirement.- V.- Early Retirement: The Problems of Instrument Substitution and Cost Shifting and Their Implications for Restructuring the Process of Retirement.- VI.- Seniority-Based Wage System and Postponed Retirement.- Employment of Older Persons from a Management Point of View.