Bequests and Informal Long-Term Care: Evidence from HRS Exit Interviews

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Human Resources
Year: 2017
Volume: 52
Issue: 2

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Informal long-term caregiving for frail elderly individuals by their children may induce parents to compensate their children for their help. To test this hypothesis, I use the exit interview from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). My results show that the decision to care for one’s parents has a significant positive impact on the incidence and amount of bequests received. In addition, increasing the amount of care relative to one’s siblings significantly increases the proportion of bequest within a family. Furthermore, I find that the positive nexus of caregiving and bequest requires a written will as a contract between the parent and the helping child.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:uwp:jhriss:v:52:y:2017:i:2:p:531-572
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25