ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the relevance of income mobility measures as welfare indicators for older population and also gives some empirical indicators. It provides a strong motivation for adoption of welfare indicators that summarise income experience of older people in the post-retirement phase of life. The comparative aspect of income dynamics of older people brings in additional policy-relevant information: how do different old-age social security systems mitigate the income risks associated with various life-course transitions that older people experience. The study of mobility merits attention only when it captures a change that has a broader social and economic relevance. The chapter presents measure of income mobility, rather than consumption mobility, to measure changes in the economic welfare of older people. Relative mobility is, therefore, measured by changes in income ranking observed during the period in question. The chapter compares income development for the elderly in Sweden with its counterpart in Great Britain, a comparison that also considers income mobility.
