ABSTRACT

Adult education may keep older workers productive if they voluntarily engage in learning. Examining a generous partial retirement reform in Germany that encouraged early retirement among male workers, we estimate voluntary adult education activities for early retirees. Using county-level administrative data on all public adult education centers (Volkshochschulen; VHS), we employ a difference-in-differences approach exploiting the predetermined county-specific age structure of men for identification. The results show a strong increase in participation in adult education, specifically in cognitively demanding courses. This supports an intrinsic willingness of older workers to acquire skills and abilities independent of financial incentives.

摘要

如果老年工人自愿参与学习，成人教育可能会提高他们的生产力。通过考察德国鼓励男性工人提前退休的慷慨的部分退休改革，我们估计了针对提前退休人员的自愿成人教育活动。使用所有公立成人教育中心（Volkshochschulen；VHS）的县级行政数据，我们采用双重差分法，利用预先确定的县特定男性年龄结构进行识别。结果显示，成人教育的参与度大幅增加，特别是认知要求较高的课程。这支持了老年工人独立于经济激励而获得技能和能力的内在意愿。