Anecdotal evidence suggests that early-life experiences have powerful effects on economic behavior and that some of these effects last a lifetime. Generations which came of age during war, famine, economic depression, baby booms and busts, political struggles, legislative change, or the advent of television may have more in common with one another than with people who share traits commonly emphasized in the social science literature. Thus, education, occupation, marital status, region of residence, and even race and gender may be less important determinants of economic behavior, standard of living, and quality of life than the year in which a person is born. This is the reason why people talk in terms of generations and of """"""""generation gaps."""""""" The proposed research will take an initial step toward quantifying these """"""""gaps"""""""" and in emphasizing shifts from cohort to cohort in factors which influence behavior and affect economic well-being in old age. The goal of this pilot project is to develop a consistent set of indicators of shifts in life course experience across cohorts from the late-nineteenth century to today and to outline their relevance for policy-related research.
