Case C-181/19, Jobcenter Krefeld: The End of the Union Citizenship as Previously Understood?

The European Court of Justice has taken a restrictive approach vis-à-vis economically inactive Union citizens ever since its rulings Brey and Dano. In a recent preliminary ruling, Case C-181/19 Jobcenter Krefeld, the Court confirms this approach with regard to social security benefits that resemble social assistance. Such benefits fall, just as the Court in held in Brey and Dano, under the Citizenship Directive and can be made dependent upon a right to reside. Thereby, the Court holds that the Citizenship Directive overrule Regulation 883/2004, that coordinates social security benefits, and its equal treatment principle which rule out additional residence requirements. However, the Court clarifies that if there is a right to reside on basis of Regulation 492/2011, such a right overrides the more restrictive right to reside that follows from the Citizenship Directive. Different standards seem to apply to economically active Union citizens and economically inactive Union citizens. Challenges lie ahead for the Member States' administrations as different authorities apply the respective Union law instruments.

Mexico poverty reduction will require policy overhaul

Significance The report shows that the number of poor increased to 55.7 million in 2020 -- around 43.9% of Mexico’s population, up from 41.9% in 2018. The findings give a sense of the socioeconomic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and of the challenges facing the government as it pursues recovery. Impacts Despite CONEVAL’s findings, the government will continue to focus its programmes on the rural poor, the young, and the elderly. Working-age people (many of whom lost their jobs during the pandemic) face a continued lack of support. The deterioration of the business environment will hinder the recovery of formal employment, and the social security benefits it provides.

Marital Histories and Late-Life Economic Security: Do Social Security Benefits Rules Perpetuate Disparities?

Disparities in late-life economic security persist along the lines of gender, marital status, race, and educational attainment. We propose that these disparities are partly due to the fact that Social Security benefits are structured such that never-married, divorced, and cohabiting persons, those who were widowed prematurely, or were in a dual-earner couple face benefit penalties. Drawing on data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), a study that has followed men and women from age 18 (in 1957) through age 72 (in 2011), we examine disparities in Social Security earnings and poverty risk on the basis of gender and marital histories. Our results reveal a large disadvantage for divorced and never-married persons (relative to their married counterparts), with women and those divorced two or more times experiencing the largest toll. We discuss the implications of our results for revamping Social Security to better meet the needs of 21st century families.

Reducing Pessimism About Social Security’s Future Through Gerontological Education

A recent Pew Research Center poll found less than half of non-retired U.S. adults believe they will receive Social Security benefits when they retire. Pessimism about Social Security’s future is even stronger among people under 50, raising concerns about political support for the program. The current study examined to what extent education about how Social Security functions and strategies to address program funding shortfalls could increase optimism about Social Security’s future. In Fall 2020, twenty-two undergraduate students enrolled in an on-line aging and social policy course were asked how likely they would receive Social Security income when they retired. Consistent with national polling data, only 38% believed they would probably or definitely receive Social Security retirement income. Students were also asked to briefly explain why they answered the way they did. Common reasons given for pessimism about receiving Social Security retirement income included having heard Social Security will run out of money and believing only U.S. citizens are eligible for Social Security benefits. Over a two-week period, students completed asynchronous on-line activities covering Social Security retirement eligibility, worker and spousal benefits, current funding, and proposed changes to address funding shortfalls. Upon completion, 67% of students stated they would probably or definitely receive Social Security retirement income when they retired (p = .07). These preliminary results suggest that education about the program can reduce pessimism about Social Security’s future. Additional data will be collected from 45 students enrolled in the same course in Spring 2021.

Does Bridge Employment Mitigate or Exacerbate Inequalities Later in Life?

This paper explores how gradual retirement impacts inequality later in life, with a focus on transitions from career to bridge employment. We use 26 years of longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study to document the various pathways that older Americans take when exiting the labor force, and examine how bridge employment impacts non-housing wealth and total wealth, including the present discounted value of Social Security benefits. We find that gradual retirement in the form of bridge employment neither exacerbates nor mitigates wealth inequalities among Americans who held career jobs later in life. We do find evidence that wealth inequalities grow among the subset of older career workers who transition from career employment to bridge employer at older ages. These findings provide quantitative evidence that bridge employment at older ages is taken by those who need to continue working financially and those who continue working for nonpecuniary reasons.

Inheritance of unpaid amounts provided to a citizen as a means of subsistence

According to Art. 1183 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation (Civil Code of the Russian Federation), the right to receive payable to the testator, but not received by him during his lifetime for any reason, the amount of wages and equivalent payments; pensions; scholarships; social security benefits; alimony; amounts of compensation for harm caused to life or health; other sums of money provided to a citizen as a means of subsistence belong to those who lived together with the deceased members of his family, as well as his disabled dependents, regardless of whether they lived with the deceased or did not live. Requests for the payment of these amounts must be presented to the obligated persons within four months from the date of opening the inheritance.

The consequences of claiming Social Security benefits at age 62

Delaying claiming of Social Security old-age benefits past the earliest eligibility age, age 62, raises the monthly benefit for a person's life. Despite arguments from both proponents and opponents of delayed claiming in academia and public discourse, little is known about whether claiming decisions lead to substantively different outcomes. We compare differences in outcomes between age-62 claimants and otherwise similar later claimants that are matched on health, employment, and financial characteristics at age 60. We find that age-62 claimers are substantially less likely to work after 62 and have persistently lower income into their 70s. Differences in assets emerged in the 70s, with early claimants having lower wealth, but we find no differences in mortality or self-reported financial hardship. The difference in wealth is driven primarily by a growth in wealth among later claimants rather than substantial decumulation by age-62 claimants.