Events

The Events of the Department of Public Economics.
18 January 2012

Seminar Cluster Seminar Public Finances and Living Conditions
The Dynamics of Earnings in Germany: Evidence from Social Security Records

We examine patterns of earnings volatility for male employees who are subject to statutory social security contributions in West Germany over the period 1986 - 2005. For this purpose, we analyse individual records covering highly reliable earnings biographies provided by the German Social Security Administration. We decompose earnings into permanent and transitory components and estimate parameters of the underlying variance-covariance structure of the earnings components model. This provides insights into the mechanics of earnings dynamics of the German labour market. We find evidence for increasing overall volatility which is predominantly driven by the permanent earnings component and therefore indicates increasing earnings inequality.

Speaker
  • Holger Lüthen, DIW Berlin
Time
12:30-13:30
Location
DIW Berlin (Eleanor-Dulles-Raum) DIW Berlin im Quartier 110 Mohrenstraße 58 10117 Berlin
Contact(s)
at DIW Berlin
Tel.: +49 30 89789 517
23 Nov 2011

Seminar Cluster Seminar Public Finances and Living Conditions
When can we trust population thresholds in regression discontinuity designs

A recent literature uses variation just around legislative population thresholds to identify causal effects of institutional changes. We review the use of regression discontinuity designs using such thresholds. Our concern is threefold: (1) simultaneous exogenous (co-)treatment, (2) simultaneous endogenous choices and (3) manipulation and precise control over population measures. Revisiting the study by Egger and Koethenbuerger (2010), who analyse the relationship between council size and government spending, we present new evidence that these concerns matter for causal analysis. Our results suggest that empirical designs using population thresholds should be used with utmost care and confidence in the precise institutional setting.

Speaker
  • Ronny Freier, Ph.D., DIW Berlin
  • Florian Ade
Time
12:30 - 13:30
Location
DIW Berlin (Eleanor-Dulles-Raum) DIW Berlin im Quartier 110 Mohrenstraße 58 10117 Berlin
Contact(s)
at DIW Berlin
Tel.: +49 30 89789 517
09 Nov 2011

Seminar Cluster-Seminar Öffentliche Finanzen und Lebenslagen
Estimating Heterogeneous Returns to Education in Germany via Conditional Second Moments

In this paper I explore the relationship between education and log wages using an identification approach based on conditional second moments. Drawing upon data from the German Socioeconomic Panel (SOEP) I show that seemingly conflicting IV studies can be reconciled accounting for their LATE interpretation. I confirm existing empirical evidence by finding heterogeneous returns to education for graduates from different school tracks. The wage premium of one additional year of education is 3% for graduates from the basic school track. For graduates from a higher school track the return is around 9%. Various robustness checks support my results.

Speaker
  • Nils Saniter, DIW Berlin
Time
12:30 - 13:30
Location
DIW Berlin (Eleanor-Dulles-Raum) DIW Berlin im Quartier 110 Mohrenstraße 58 10117 Berlin
Contact(s)
at DIW Berlin
Tel.: +49 30 89789 517
12 October 2011

Seminar Cluster-Seminar Öffentliche Finanzen und Lebenslagen
Stop Smoking, Your Paycheck Will Thank You! Wage Effects from Smoking Cessation

Silke Anger (DIW Berlin / SOEP) 

A growing body of literature has investigated the wage penalty attached to smoking. Little research, in contrast, has been done on the wage effects of smoking cessation. Using survey panel data from Germany, we study the relative earnings of smokers and former smokers over an extended period of time. We control for selection into smoking by imposing smoking initiation as the common initial condition and exclusively focusing on ever smokers, i.e. smokers and former smokers. Although we do not find evidence for an average wage premium of smoking cessation, our estimates point to heterogeneous causal effects. Individuals who did not smoke very long or who quit many years ago do appear to benefit in their earnings from quitting smoking. The prospect of a higher paycheck for short-time smokers and long-term quitters provides an additional incentive to smokers to quit smoking, an argument health authorities may want to utilize in public smoking cessation campaigns.

Speaker
  • Dr. Silke Anger, DIW Berlin
Time
12:30 - 13:30
Location
DIW Berlin (Eleanor-Dulles-Raum) DIW Berlin im Quartier 110 Mohrenstraße 58 10117 Berlin
Contact(s)
at DIW Berlin
Tel.: +49 30 89789 517
09 to 10 April 2010

Conference Ageing, savings and retirement

The conference is expected to address the issues of consumption, savings and retirement behaviour in ageing societies and to include approximately 12 presentations over the two days. Invited speakers at the conference will be Martin Browning from the University of Oxford and Arthur van Soest from Tilburg University.

The conference is organized as part of a joint project of the DIW-Berlin and the University of Warsaw under the heading “Economic Risks, Savings and Retirement Decisions in Ageing Societies” of which the German part is financed by the German Science Foundation (DFG) and the Polish part by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Researchers interested in presenting their work at the conference are requested to send a full paper by email to Johannes Geyer (jgeyer@diw.de) at the DIW-Berlin until 12th February 2010. There is also a limited number of places for those interested in attending the conference without presenting their work. Travel expenses (economy class) and hotel costs for presenters of papers will be reimbursed.

Conference organisers:
Prof. Viktor Steiner, DIW-Berlin and Free University, Berlin;
Dr. Michal Myck, Centre for Economic Analysis, Szczecin and DIW-Berlin;
Johannes Geyer, DIW-Berlin;

Contact(s)
at DIW Berlin
Tel.: +49 30 89789 258
Tel.: +49 30 89789 268
Contact(s)
external
Dr. Michal Myck, Centre for Economic Analysis, Szczecin and DIW Berlin;
28 March 2007

Berlin Lunchtime Meeting Tax Benefits and Employment – an Anglo-German Comparison

Comment: Mike Brewer, Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), London
Moderator: Dr. Regina Vogel, Deputy Director (Anglo-German Foundation)

Keynote Speaker
  • Prof. Dr. Viktor Steiner, DIW Berlin and FU Berlin
Location
DIW Berlin im Quartier 110 Mohrenstraße 58 10117 Berlin
26 to 30 March 2007

Event Renewables will never solve the world's energy problems.
How will we secure the future supply of energy?

The Joint Debate is organised jointly by The Economist, the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and the Alfred Herrhausen Society (AHS). 

Keynote Speaker
  • Cathérine Müller, DIW Berlin
  • Prof. Dr. Viktor Steiner, DIW Berlin
  • Mike Brewer, Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS),(Referent extern)
Time
12.00 bis 19.00
Location
Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin Raum B002/3 Reichpietschufer 50 10785 Berlin