Research

The research will be conducted in a number of phases. In the first phase key questions include:

• How does the distribution of income in later life vary between Britain, Germany, Sweden and the US?
  
  
• To what extent are differences in income inequality between countries explained by cross-national differences in sources of income in later life? For example, what is the relative contribution to income inequality of non-state pension income?

In later phases we will ask:

• How does entitlement to income in later life accumulate across the lifetime?
  
  
• In what ways does the accumulation of advantage and disadvantage across the lifetime vary by gender, education and socio-economic characteristics?
  
  
• Does the pattern of accumulation vary between welfare states?
  
  
• What are the financial consequences in later life of key demographic and labour market experiences?
  
  
• How do the economic penalties associated with different lifetime events compare? For example, does time out of the labour market due to child care responsibilities have a greater impact on income in later life than an equivalent period of unemployment?
  
  
• Is the pattern of financial rewards and penalties attached to lifetime events similar across countries? For example, are the pension 'costs' associated with divorce similar for women in Sweden and the US?
  
  
• How do different welfare regimes compensate for or penalise certain lifetime trajectories?

We will analyse longitudinal survey data for each country to utilise a life course approach to understanding income in later life. We propose to use a combination of multivariate modelling and policy simulation techniques as well as simulating alternative life courses for individuals in the datasets.

Our findings will inform our knowledge about the policy impacts of, for example, alternative pension, social protection and housing policies across the four countries.

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