Labor markets and opportunity structures - Modeling the context of retirement in the historical United States

This article uses linked county-level and individual-level economic, demogr aphic, and social indicators drawn from three historical U.S, censuses to e xamine a construct that has been labeled labor market or opportunity struct ure in historical and demographic multilevel research. Findings are that tu rn-of-the-twentieth-century localities were diverse opportunity structures that systematically and differentially shaped older men's unemployment rate s and their likelihood of work and retirement. This article also highlights issues that researchers might face as they work with linked census data-sp ecifically multidimensionality of contextual influences with resultant coll inearity and variable selection problems.