Does Retirement Affect Voluntary Work Provision? Evidence from the US, England and Ireland

Peter Eibich , Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Angelo Lorenti, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Irene Mosca, Trinity College Dublin

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 – the US, England and Ireland. We draw on data from the HRS, ELSA and TILDA studies and analyse these datasets using a harmonized empirical approach. We use eligibility ages for old age pensions in an instrumental variables estimation to address potential confounding. We find that retirement increases the frequency of voluntary work provision in all three countries. 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.

See extended abstract

 Presented in Session 38. Ageing and Retirement