ABSTRACT
This chapter presents data on all income sources available to the elderly, with special attention to the interaction between public transfer income and family transfers. Family transfers represent a small but nonetheless significant form of income for the elderly. Public transfer programs are important factors that may influence both household living arrangements and family transfers. The focus on public income and family transfer income precludes the use of many data sets. The income of the elderly has a direct bearing on the level and stability of their welfare. The measure of family transfers needs refinement, but provides more than adequate results in its present form. The interaction between family transfers and public income provides substantial evidence that relatives do indeed supplement public assistance. Inter-household economic transfers, which represent income received by the elderly from family with whom they do not live, are more difficult to ascertain.
