Jackson, W. orcid.org/0000-0001-5194-7307 (2009) Retirement policies and the life cycle:current trends and future prospects. Review of Political Economy. pp. 515-536. ISSN 0953-8259
Abstract
During the twentieth century, pensions in developed countries were generally payable from a statutory retirement age which provided a norm for retirement behaviour and a threshold dividing older from younger age groups. Governments, by setting fixed starting dates for work and retirement, created a standardised life cycle with clearly delineated and uniform boundaries between education, work and retirement stages. Over the last thirty years or so, retirement behaviour has diverged from official norms and moved towards earlier retirement, although pressures for later retirement are now increasing as concerns over pension finance provoke calls for older workers to remain economically active. Weaker retirement norms have prompted speculation that working practices may be evolving from a Fordist life cycle with fixed stages to post-Fordist life courses with fluid and variable personal experiences. This paper assesses current trends, asking whether they do indicate major changes in the life cycle, and considers the flexibility of retirement, paying particular attention to the influence of government and employers. Several ways in which retirement could develop are identified, but few of them remove the constraints on retirees: truly flexible retirement will not occur spontaneously and will require explicit policies to safeguard retirement choices.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | M1 - 4 © 2009 Taylor & Francis. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details |
Keywords: | retirement age,retirement policies,life cycle,Fordism,post-Fordism |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > Economics and Related Studies (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 31 May 2017 12:15 |
Last Modified: | 08 Feb 2025 00:14 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/09538250903215823 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/09538250903215823 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:116572 |
Download
Filename: Retirement_Policies_and_the_Life_Cycle.pdf
Description: Retirement Policies and the Life Cycle