"This volume draws from the International Social Security project, which commenced more than two decades ago and which compares the social security and retirement experience in twelve developed countries. Both men and women are remaining longer in the workforce and this volume documents trends...

This volume presents the fourth phase of the project. An analysis and country-by-country comparison of the effects of social security incentives on retirement behavior in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the United States.

In nearly every industrialized country, large aging populations and increased life expectancy have placed enormous pressure on social security programs-and, until recently, the pressure has been compounded by a trend toward retirement at an earlier age. With a larger fraction of the population...

In recent years, the retirement age for public pensions has increased across many countries, and additional increases are in progress or under discussion in many more. The seventh stage of an ongoing research project studying the relationship between social security programs and labor force...