Publications Based on SOEP Data: SOEPlit

The Causal Effects of the Minimum Wage Introduction in Germany: An Overview

In 2015, Germany introduced a statutory hourly minimum wage that was not only universally binding but also set at a relatively high level. We discuss the short-run effects of this new minimum wage on a wide set of socio-economic outcomes, such as employment and working hours, earnings and wage inequality, dependent and selff-employment, as well as reservation wages and satisfaction. We also discuss ...

What Happens after the ‘Daddy Months’? Fathers’ Involvement in Paid Work, Childcare, and Housework after Taking Parental Leave in Germany

The German parental leave reform of 2007 created a new incentive for men to take parental leave by introducing ‘daddy months’: 2 months of well-remunerated leave exclusively reserved for fathers. Against the backdrop of the reform, this study examines how fathers’ uptake of parental leave affects the amount of time they spend on paid work, housework, and childcare after the leave has ended. It investigates ...

The association between social support networks and maternal employment: a comparison of western German, eastern German, and migrant mothers of preschool-aged children

A lack of adequate childcare can delay mothers' return to the labor market after childbirth. This paper examines whether social support with childcare by kin and friends facilitates maternal employment in the first 72 months after childbirth. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) 1993?2009, a comparison of natives (n=1409) and migrants (n=411) in corporative-conservative western ...

Paternal Part-Time Employment and Fathers' Long-Term Involvement in Child Care and Housework

Abstract Objective This study examines whether paternal part-time employment is related to greater involvement by fathers in child care and housework, both while fathers are working part-time and after they return to full-time employment. Background The study draws on four strands of theory—time availability, bargaining, gender ideology, and gender construction. It studies couples' division of ...

Essays in Empirical Health Economics (Dissertation)

Fear of Unemployment and its Effect on the Mental Health of Spouses

Unemployment has been shown to have adverse effects on different aspects of a person's life, and even the fear of losing a job affects individuals negatively. In addition, not only the individuals directly affected but also their spouses and other family members might be affected. Using data from the German Socio-economic Panel, this study analyzes the relationship between individual job worries ...

How Health Plan Enrollees Value Prices Relative to Supplemental Benefits and Service Quality

This paper empirically assesses the relative role of health plan prices, service quality and optional benefits in the decision to choose a health plan. We link representative German SOEP panel data from 2007 to 2010 to (i) health plan service quality indicators, (ii) measures of voluntary benefit provision on top of federally mandated benefits, and (iii) health plan prices for almost all German health ...

The Role of Prices Relative to Supplemental Benefits and Service Quality in Health Plan Choice

This article links representative enrollee panel data to health plan data on (1) prices, (2) service quality, and (3) nonessential benefits for the German statutory multipayer market and the years 2007–2010. We first show that although heavy federal regulation ensures a simple choice architecture, the majority of health plans are dominated—even when considering four nonprice attributes. Enrollees in ...

Who Opts Out of the Statutory Health Insurance? A Discrete Time Hazard Model for Germany

The coexistence of social health insurance and private health insurance in Germany is subject to intense public debate. As only few have the opportunity to choose between the two systems, they are often regarded as privileged by the health insurance system. Applying a hazard model in discrete time, this paper examines the role of incentives set by the regulatory framework as well as the influence of ...

Minimum wage not yet for everyone: on the compensation of eligible workers before and after the minimum wage reform from the perspective of employees

Calculations based on data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) show that after the introduction of a statutory minimum wage in Germany in January 2015, the wage growth of eligible employees with low wages accelerated significantly. Before the reform, the nominal growth in contractual hourly wages in the lowest decile, the bottom tenth of the pay distribution, was less than two percent in the long-term ...