Publications Based on SOEP Data: SOEPlit

Wage Determination in the Shadow of the Law: The Case of Works Councilors in Germany

The German law on co-determination at the plant level (Betriebsverfassungsgesetz) stipulates that works councilors are neither to be financially rewarded nor penalized for their activities. This regulation contrasts with publicized instances of excessive payments. The divergence has sparked a debate about the need to reform the law. This paper provides representative evidence on wage payments to works ...

Can Regional Gender Ideologies Account for Variation of Gender Pay Gaps? The Case of Germany

While research often invokes gender disparities in wage-determining characteristics to explain gender pay gaps, why these gender disparities and gender pay gaps vary across contexts has received less attention. Therefore, I analyze how subnational gender ideologies predict gender pay gaps in two ways: as directly affecting gender pay gaps and as indirectly predicting gender pay gaps through intermediate ...

Job Placement via Private vs. Public Employment Agencies: Investigating Selection Effects and Job Match Quality in Germany

Employment agencies aim to match individuals to appropriate jobs. There are public and private employment agencies, which co-exist in many countries. Selection effects may be relevant in the sense that private agencies potentially engage in ‘cream-skimming’ by prioritizing highly qualified workers. The resulting job match quality is also important from an individual, a firm, and a society perspective. ...

Estimating tourism social carrying capacity

Initial incidence of carbon taxes and environmental liability. A vehicle ownership approach

A German panel data of vehicle and owner characteristics is used to analyse the incidence of additional carbon taxes. It is shown that an additional carbon tax on fuel used for private transportation is regressive when there is no allocation of tax revenue. When smoothing consumption across time in the face of additional carbon taxes, low income households can reduce the tax burden. When the cost of ...

The Comparative Panel File: Harmonized Household Panel Surveys from Seven Countries

The Comparative Panel File (CPF) harmonizes the world’s largest and longest-running household panel surveys from seven countries: Australia (HILDA), Germany (SOEP), United Kingdom (BHPS and UKHLS), South Korea (KLIPS), Russia (RLMS), Switzerland (SHP), and the United States (PSID). The project aims to support the social science community in the analysis of comparative life course data. The CPF builds ...

Co-development of Couples’ Life Satisfaction in Transition to Retirement: A Longitudinal Dyadic Perspective

Retirement is one of the major life course transitions in old age. Evidence suggests that exiting work life is associated with notable changes in life satisfaction, which are heterogeneous across individuals. Effects of retirement transitions on life satisfaction have been understudied in couples. We examined change in life satisfaction with retirement for retirees and their spouses/partners, the extent ...

Essays on the Economics of Fertility and Education

Diese Dissertation enthält zwei Studien, die den Effekt finanzieller Anreize auf Fertilität analysieren und eine Studie, die analysiert wie Studenten, die sich selbst überschätzen, auf Feedback reagieren. Kapitel 1 erläutert die Motivation meiner Forschung. Kapitel 2 präsentiert eine Studie über den Fertilitätseffekt von Kindergeld. Die Studie analysiert eine deutsche Reform, durch die das Kindergeld ...

Life satisfaction and return migration: analysing the role of life satisfaction for migrant return intentions in Germany

This study analyses the role of life satisfaction for the intention of migrants to return to their country of origin. It is argued that the utility function of return migration is a function of life satisfaction gains and losses due to migration. Using the German Socio-Economic Panel and the World Value Survey, first-generation migrants from 26 countries were studied on the country level and within ...

Initial Placement Restrictions: Opportunity or Challenge for Refugee Integration?