"Changing patterns of work and retirement raise major questions for social policy in the 21st century. A key issue concerns how to handle the legacy of the 20th century – namely the institutionalization of retirement as a major part of the life course. The acceptance of early retirement in the 1970s and 1980s accelerated the growth of post-work lifestyles, consolidated by the cohort of ‘first wave' baby boomers (those born in the 1940s and early 1950s). Both aspects are now in collision with the drive to delay retirement and put in place later pension ages. The various articles discussed in this Special Issue explore a number of questions affecting the future of work and retirement, including developments in the policy arena, factors influencing career decisions in middle and late life, and changing transitions from work to retirement. The discussion concludes with an assessment of the new research agendas emerging from debates about extending working life and the future of retirement."

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