Retirement income
Current and Completed Projects:
The Canada Pension Plan Disability Appeals Management Pilot
ESDC conducted a randomized control trial of a streamlined management process of Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit application appeals. As part of the broader evaluation of service improvement, SRDC is commissioned to conduct the quantitative analysis of the pilot’s impacts, outcomes, and value for money. The results of this project will inform ESDC about the business case of the streamlined management process, the potentials of further improvements, as well as the possibilities of scaling.
Start-end date: June 2019 - May 2020
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada
A Canadian roadmap for an aging society
The number and proportion of older adults in Canada’s population has rapidly increased, and will continue to do so for the next 40 years. Moreover, seniors are living longer and more active lives – whether in work, volunteering, or social activities, – if not always in the absence of illness or disability. The implications of this demographic shift for society as a whole are profound, and represent both challenges and opportunities in such diverse areas as employment, housing, and health. To develop a broad understanding of the social policy landscape related to aging and the extent to which standards could prove useful, CSA Group has engaged SRDC to develop a Canadian roadmap for an aging society. Using an environmental scan, literature review, and interviews with a wide range of key informants, SRDC is identifying leading policies, practices, guidelines, and government programs in priority topic areas both nationally and internationally, as well as conducting an analysis of needs, gaps, and opportunities, and recommendations to guide future standards development.
Start-end date: December 2018 - August 2019
Sponsor: Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group)
The role of financial literacy on financial decisions and retirement preparedness among seniors and older adults
Recent evidence suggests that many seniors and older adults may struggle to manage their finances. On assessments of financial capability, Canadian seniors and older adults fared poorly on objective measures of financial knowledge including those with high self-rated skills. These gaps may have serious consequences for financial decision-making, particularly among those heading into retirement. This project analyzes the 2014 Canadian Financial Capability Survey (CFCS) to understand the challenges that Canadian seniors and older adults face with financial literacy, how these relate to financial outcomes, and retirement preparedness.
Start-end date: September 2015 - March 2016
Sponsor: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
The role of subjective attitudes and beliefs in financial decision-making of Canadians
While many Canadians lack basic financial literacy, mounting evidence from behavioural economics suggests that financial decisions are also frequently undermined by psychological factors. Even with the requisite financial knowledge and literacy skills, people are prone to various kinds of cognitive biases when making financial decisions such as those related to evaluating risk and uncertainty or the time value of money. This project undertakes an analysis of the 2014 Canadian Financial Capability Survey (CFCS) with the aim of understanding the role of cognitive biases in the financial decision-making of Canadians, with a particular focus on youth, aboriginals, and those with low incomes.
Start-end date: September 2015 - March 2016
Sponsor: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Challenges for Canada’s Retirement Income System
The design and implementation of a multi-disciplinary research program to further our understanding of how retirement saving decisions are made by Canadian men and women and identify ways to improve retirement planning.
Start-end date: April 2010 - June 2011
Sponsor: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
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