Table of Contents

1. The changing balance of work and retirement Martin Kohli and Martin Rein; 2. The evolution of early exit: a comparative analysis of labor force participation patterns Klaus Jacobs, Martin Kohli and Martin Rein; 3. Testing the industry-mix hypothesis of early exit Klaus Jacobs, Martin Kohli and Martin Rein; 4. The Netherlands: an extreme case Bert de Vroom and Martin Blomsma; 5. France: massive exit through unemployment compensation Anne-Marie Guillemard; 6. Germany: The diversity of pathways Klaus Jacobs, Martin Kohli and Martin Rein; 7. Great Britain: The contradictions of early exit Frank Laczko and Chris Phillipson; 8. The United States: The privatization of exit Harold L. Sheppard; 9. Sweden: partial exit Eskil Wadensjö; 10. Hungary: exit from the state economy Julia Szalai; 11. Pathways and their prospects: a comparative interpretation of the meaning of early exit Anne-Marie Guillemard and Herman van Gunsteren; Index.

Reviews

'For those interested in patterns of exit from the workforce in different countries this book provides detailed, important and well-structured information, and for policy analysts it illustrates well the roles of different actors - employers, unions and the state, in policymaking. For those studying ageing and older people, the book makes an important contribution to the debate about the social construction of the life course.' Journal of European Social Policy 'The trend to early retirement is a puzzle or social science and a problem for policy. It is also a natural for the kind of broad comparative analysis that this fascinating book exemplifies. It is full of striking facts and interesting ideas, each needing the other.' Robert M. Solow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology