public sector in neither country. Thus real wage flexibility is similar in the two countries, apart from East Germany …, despite apparent differences in wage-setting institutions …

expensive older workers into retirement. Based on the seniority wage model developed by Lazear (1979), we discuss steep … seniority wage profiles as incentives for firms to dismiss older workers before retirement. Conditional on individual retirement … incentives, e.g., social security wealth or health status, the steepness of the wage profile will have different incentives for …