Peer-Reviewed Journal Publications
McLaughlin, Joanne Song, and David Neumark. Accepted. "Barriers to Later Retirement for Men: Physical Challenges of Work and Increases in the Full Retirement Age." Research on Aging.
Abstract:
Policy changes intended to delay retirements of older workers and extend their work lives may run up against barriers owing to rising physical challenges of work as people age. We examine whether physical challenges at work influence employment transitions of older male workers in the age range for which public policy is trying to extend work lives, and whether older male workers are able to mitigate these challenges while still remaining employed. The evidence indicates that physical challenges pose a barrier to extending work lives, although some older male workers with physically-demanding jobs are able to mitigate these demands – either at new jobs or with the same employer. Our findings suggest that greater accommodation of physical challenges faced by older workers would likely increase the success of policies intended to induce later retirement.
Abstract:
Policy changes intended to delay retirements of older workers and extend their work lives may run up against barriers owing to rising physical challenges of work as people age. We examine whether physical challenges at work influence employment transitions of older male workers in the age range for which public policy is trying to extend work lives, and whether older male workers are able to mitigate these challenges while still remaining employed. The evidence indicates that physical challenges pose a barrier to extending work lives, although some older male workers with physically-demanding jobs are able to mitigate these demands – either at new jobs or with the same employer. Our findings suggest that greater accommodation of physical challenges faced by older workers would likely increase the success of policies intended to induce later retirement.
| mclaughlin_neumark_roa_forthcoming.pdf |
| mclaughlin_neumark_roa_forthcoming_online_appendix.pdf |
McLaughlin, Joanne Song. Forthcoming. "Does Communist Party Membership Pay? Estimating the Economic Returns to Party Membership in the Labor Market in China.” Journal of Comparative Economics.
Abstract:
Many studies have found that Chinese Communist Party membership brings economic benefits to Party members, but some studies also argue that the premium associated with Party membership is merely due to members' higher levels of ability and advantageous family backgrounds. The lack of consensus on the economic returns of Party membership implies that the role of Party membership is not well understood. This study estimates the economic returns to Party membership using complementary approaches to address the endogeneity of Party membership status: propensity score matching and instrumental variables. Although the magnitudes of these estimates vary across estimators, all the estimates show positive economic returns to Party membership. This paper also examines possible mechanisms for how Party membership may bring benefits to members and provides evidence that Party membership may generate political capital, but not social capital in the labor market in China.
Published version here
Abstract:
Many studies have found that Chinese Communist Party membership brings economic benefits to Party members, but some studies also argue that the premium associated with Party membership is merely due to members' higher levels of ability and advantageous family backgrounds. The lack of consensus on the economic returns of Party membership implies that the role of Party membership is not well understood. This study estimates the economic returns to Party membership using complementary approaches to address the endogeneity of Party membership status: propensity score matching and instrumental variables. Although the magnitudes of these estimates vary across estimators, all the estimates show positive economic returns to Party membership. This paper also examines possible mechanisms for how Party membership may bring benefits to members and provides evidence that Party membership may generate political capital, but not social capital in the labor market in China.
Published version here
| mclaughlin_jce_forthcoming.pdf |
Neumark, David, Joanne Song, and Patrick Button. 2016. “Does Protecting Older Workers from Discrimination Make It Harder to Get Hired? Evidence from Disability Discrimination Laws.” Research on Aging 39 (1): 29-63.
Abstract:
We explore the effects of disability discrimination laws on hiring of older workers. A concern with anti-discrimination laws is that they may reduce hiring by raising the cost of terminations and - in the specific case of disability discrimination laws - raising the cost of employment because of the need to accommodate disabled workers. Moreover, disability discrimination laws can affect non-disabled older workers because they are fairly likely to develop work-related disabilities, yet are not protected by these laws. Using state variation in disability discrimination protections, we find little or no evidence that stronger disability discrimination laws lower the hiring of non-disabled older workers. We similarly find no evidence of adverse effects of disability discrimination laws on hiring of disabled older workers.
Working paper version here
Abstract:
We explore the effects of disability discrimination laws on hiring of older workers. A concern with anti-discrimination laws is that they may reduce hiring by raising the cost of terminations and - in the specific case of disability discrimination laws - raising the cost of employment because of the need to accommodate disabled workers. Moreover, disability discrimination laws can affect non-disabled older workers because they are fairly likely to develop work-related disabilities, yet are not protected by these laws. Using state variation in disability discrimination protections, we find little or no evidence that stronger disability discrimination laws lower the hiring of non-disabled older workers. We similarly find no evidence of adverse effects of disability discrimination laws on hiring of disabled older workers.
Working paper version here
Neumark, David and Joanne Song. 2013. “Do Stronger Age Discrimination Laws Make Social Security Reforms More Effective?” Journal of Public Economics 108 (December): 1-16.
Abstract:
Supply-side Social Security reforms intended to increase employment and delay benefit claiming among older individuals may be frustrated by age discrimination. We test for policy complementarities between these reforms and demand-side efforts to deter age discrimination, specifically studying whether stronger state-level age discrimination protections enhanced the impact of the 1983 Social Security reforms that increased the full retirement age (FRA) and reduced benefits. The evidence indicates that, for older individuals for whom early retirement benefits fell and the FRA increased, stronger state age discrimination protections were associated with delayed benefit claiming and increases in employment, with benefit claiming pushed from 65 to the new FRA, and increased employment after age 62 and age 65 that is then curtailed at the new FRA.
Published version here
Abstract:
Supply-side Social Security reforms intended to increase employment and delay benefit claiming among older individuals may be frustrated by age discrimination. We test for policy complementarities between these reforms and demand-side efforts to deter age discrimination, specifically studying whether stronger state-level age discrimination protections enhanced the impact of the 1983 Social Security reforms that increased the full retirement age (FRA) and reduced benefits. The evidence indicates that, for older individuals for whom early retirement benefits fell and the FRA increased, stronger state age discrimination protections were associated with delayed benefit claiming and increases in employment, with benefit claiming pushed from 65 to the new FRA, and increased employment after age 62 and age 65 that is then curtailed at the new FRA.
Published version here
Working papers
Falling between the Cracks: Discrimination Laws and Older Women
Abstract:
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects women from sex discrimination, while the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 prohibits discrimination against workers over the age of 40. Since an older woman may be subject to discrimination in the workplace based on both age and sex, legal scholars argue that age and sex discrimination laws must be used jointly to protect the older-woman minority group. However, courts do not always use them together in practice and do not necessarily give older women protection based on membership in both protected classes. This implies that age discrimination laws alone may be not as effective, or may be even ineffective in protecting older women compared to older men. I test this implication by estimating the differential effect of age discrimination laws on labor market outcomes between women and men. The findings show that age discrimination laws do far less to improve labor market outcomes for older women than for older men, which supports the argument that older women need to be classified as a subgroup of two protected classes to receive adequate protection.
Abstract:
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects women from sex discrimination, while the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 prohibits discrimination against workers over the age of 40. Since an older woman may be subject to discrimination in the workplace based on both age and sex, legal scholars argue that age and sex discrimination laws must be used jointly to protect the older-woman minority group. However, courts do not always use them together in practice and do not necessarily give older women protection based on membership in both protected classes. This implies that age discrimination laws alone may be not as effective, or may be even ineffective in protecting older women compared to older men. I test this implication by estimating the differential effect of age discrimination laws on labor market outcomes between women and men. The findings show that age discrimination laws do far less to improve labor market outcomes for older women than for older men, which supports the argument that older women need to be classified as a subgroup of two protected classes to receive adequate protection.
