We study the incentive and labor market effects of disability benefit programs using unique policy variation in Germany. In 2014, disability benefits of new recipients were increased considerably while eligibility criteria were not changed. We exploit this quasi-experimental policy variation to test the implications at two different margins. First, we analyze to what extent an increase in the...
Der Beitrag erschien in gekürzter Fassung unter dem Titel "Ein Weg aus der Altersarmut" in der FAZ am 30. Januar 2023, S. 16 und auf FAZ.NET. Benötigt das Rentensystem mehr Umverteilung? Die gesetzliche Rentenversicherung in Deutschland wird von der Beitragsäquivalenz geprägt: die Rente orientiert sich in ihrer Höhe im Wesentlichen an den zuvor gezahlten Beiträgen. Das bedeutet, dass die späteren ...
This study uses administrative data on the universe of students in tertiary education in Germany and shows that university enrollment depends negatively on the local unemployment rate at high school graduation. This finding contradicts common evidence on countercyclical US undergraduate enrollment. Students' financial dependency and loan aversion suggest reduced parental income as dominant...