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Journal of Economic Perspectives: Vol. 10 No. 4 (Fall 1996)

JEP Volume. 10, Issue 4 | Previous ArticleNext Article

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JEP - All Issues

How Retirement Saving Programs Increase Saving

Article Citation

Poterba, James M., Steven F. Venti, and David A. Wise. 1996. "How Retirement Saving Programs Increase Saving." Journal of Economic Perspectives, 10(4): 91-112.

DOI: 10.1257/jep.10.4.91

Abstract

This paper summarizes the authors work on the effect of IRA and 401(k) contributions on net personal saving. They consider many different nonparametric approaches to controlling for heterogeneity in individual saving behavior and conclude that the weight of the available evidence suggests that contributions to both IRAs and 401(k)s largely represent new saving. The authors devote particular attention to reconciling their results with the findings in other studies that reach different conclusions, sometimes using the same databases that the authors analyze. Methodological limitations that undermine the reliability of results in other studies explain many of these disparities.

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Authors

Poterba, James M. (MIT and NBER)
Venti, Steven F. (Dartmouth College and NBER)
Wise, David A. (John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard U and NBER)

JEL Classifications

H31: Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents: Household
J26: Retirement; Retirement Policies
D12: Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis

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