Publications by Urban Institute for Retirement Policy

Social Security faces a $5.4 trillion shortfall over the next 75 years, but modest adjustments can halt that slide. Some argue that those adjustments should go beyond solvency, to improve the adequacy and equity of benefits, better protect vulnerable workers, and encourage work at older ages. Although the how and when are still up for debate, policymakers can address these problems without removing the basic protections provided by one of the nation's most popular and successful programs. This brief, which summarizes three Urban Institute events on Capitol Hill, lays out central points of the Social Security debate and options for reform.

Older Americans face an uncertain retirement future. Policies are urgently needed to shore up Social Security and Medicare, get health care spending under control, and make staying in the labor force at older ages easier, while still protecting disabled workers. This policy brief summarizes a wide-ranging discussion of retirement issues to explore how public policies might adapt to an aging population.

Intergenerational Caregiving, a new book from the Urban Institute Press, reveals how social, cultural, demographic, and financial circumstances shape care and support arrangements for Americans as they age, as well as for family members of all ages facing disability and special needs.

The occupations that already employ above-average shares of workers age 55 and older rely on an educated workforce and are expected to grow at least 20 percent by 2016, double the 10 percent rate forecast for the national labor force. A new study examines how changes in the nature of work, different occupations, the characteristics of older workers, and overall labor force growth might affect future job prospects for older Americans.

As the first phalanx of the 76 million-strong baby boom generation begins turning 62 and receiving Social Security benefits January 1, will they create a massive army of willing and able volunteers? Researchers from the Urban Institute's Retirement Project examine this question in three new research briefs.

An aging population and soaring health care costs are pressing policymakers to realign Social Security’s promised benefits with its resources. So far, reforms have failed, with the last major changes dating to 1983. International Perspectives on Social Security Reform, new from the Urban Institute Press, takes a close look at public pension changes in six countries that, like the United States, are expecting grayer demographics: Sweden, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy.

An aging population creates challenges for workers, employers, and policymakers. This fact sheet describes the benefits of delayed retirement, the capacity of older people to remain at work, trends and patterns in labor force participation at older ages, and some of the legal and institutional work impediments that exist for older Americans.

A new policy assessment of Medicare, arriving as the nation's largest public health care program enters its fifth decade amid calls to rein in spending, presents proposals for reforming the program, improving health care for elderly and disabled clients, and achieving long-term savings.

[First Tuesdays Transcript] Today, two out of ten Americans are 55 or older, and that number is expected to increase to three out of ten by 2030. But retirement isn't just gardening and travel. More older Americans are staying active longer, either in the workforce or through unpaid work. Panelists addressed how and why seniors are keeping active, focusing on policy options to increase their productivity and satisfaction.

Women are much more likely than men to live in poverty at older ages. Under a voluntary system of individual accounts, outcomes would depend on who opts in and who stays out. This fact sheet offers highlights from Urban Institute's recent research findings on retirement and aging, including cites for additional research.

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