Publications Based on SOEP Data: SOEPlit

Self-Employment Dynamics, State Dependence and Cross-Mobility Patterns

Evaluating the German "Mini-Job" Reform Using a True Natural Experiment

Increasing work incentives for people with low income is a common topic in the policy debate across European countries. The ‘Mini-Job’ reform in Germany had a similar motivation. We carry out an ex-post evaluation to identify the short-run effects of this reform. Our identification strategy uses an exogenous variation in the interview months in the Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), which allows us ...

Short-Run Distributional Effects of Public Education Transfers to Tertiary Education Students in Seven European Countries

Direct provision of public services can alter the balance of resources across income groups. We focus on the issues arising when taking account of the impact of publicly provided education services across the income distribution. We combine OECD information on spending per student in particular levels of the education system with micro data from nationwide income surveys to track the allocation of ...

Poverty Dynamics in Europe. A Multilevel Discrete-Time Recurrent Hazard Analysis

Does Money Buy Immigrant Happiness?

The relationship between income and happiness for international immigrants has been relatively unexplored. A handful of cross-sectional studies has shown that income and happiness are positively correlated after migration, and that wealthier immigrants are more satisfied with their post-migration lives than are their less privileged peers. What is unclear is if the link between income and happiness ...

Short- and Mid-Term Effects of a Parenting Program on Maternal Well-Being: Evidence for more and less advantaged mothers

This paper evaluates how a light-touch parenting program for parents of children below school entry age affects maternal well-being. We first analyze data from a randomized controlled trial focusing on more advantaged parents. Second, we use a sample of mothers from deprived neighborhoods, for which we generate a control group using additional data. Overall, results show a relatively large positive ...

A SOEP-Related Study: Early Childhood Education and Care Quality in the Socio-Economic Panel (K2ID-SOEP)

Information Asymmetries Between Parents and Educators in German Childcare Institutions

Economic theory predicts market failure in the market for early childhood education and care (ECEC) due to information asymmetries. We empirically investigate information asymmetries between parents and ECEC professionals in Germany, making use of a unique extension of the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP). It allows us to compare quality perceptions by parents and pedagogic staff of 734 ECEC ...

Does Better, Cheaper Day Care Make for More Satisfied Parents?

Following the major expansion of day care provision in recent years, the quality of these programs has increasingly also been the subject of public debate. When evaluating the quality of German day care centers, experts have frequently concluded that there is considerable room for improvement. Apart from considering expert opinions, it is also interesting to look at how parents as guardians rate the ...

Family and Labor Market Policies in Germany: The Well-Being of Working Women

In Germany, women’s participation in the labor market has historically differed from that of men. Despite recent efforts on the part of the federal government to support policies that encourage labor force participation for women, large gender gaps in employment remain. This chapter explores the way historical and cultural trends have led to the differences in labor market status for women in Germany ...