Public Economics Department Research Projects

An empirical analysis of non-take up of social assistance for the elderly

The aim of the research project was to non-take-up of social assistance for the elderly. The analysis is based on the Socio-economic Panel (SOEP). Using a microsimulation model (STSM) developed at DIW Berlin, it was determined on the basis of survey data from the previous year (including income and property information, household context, living situation, health situation, household equipment)...

Distribution effects and incentive effects of coordinated climate and social policy

The aim of this research project is the development and empirical evaluation of climate and social policy instruments, which on the one hand contribute to achieving climate neutrality by 2045, and on the other hand could be implemented in a socially compatible way. The focus is on empirical analysis of the distribution and incentive effects including their interactions which are evaluated by...

Economic Insights: Transfer and Capacity Building

The INSIGHTS project  aims to support and promote the communication of research and to contribute to its transfer to the public. INSIGHTS is funded by the Leibniz Gemeinschaft. INSIGHTS has two main pillars, a platform of exchange between researchers, policymakers, the media, and the public, and the provision of professional guidance and formal training on how to interact with the public and...

Female labor supply and fertility in times of demographic change (FemLab)

Financing basic income

Scenarios for financing an unconditional basic income are being developed in the project. Furthermore, the revenue and distribution effects of basic income and financing options are analyzed.

Junior research group “Time policy – how can social policy help to manage critical phases over the life course?”

The research group is concerned with time policy as one element of social policy. Time policy allows individuals and households to cope with time conflicts during critical phases in their employment biographies. Time policy includes measures and benefits that enable employees to use their time resources according to their preferences, irrespective of their income. We identify critical phases in...

Netspar - Flexible combinations of work and retirement

Rationality and Competition: The Economic Performance of Individuals and Firms

Role model Austria - What lessons can be learned for the design of old-age provision in Germany?

In the project, the differences between the German and Austrian pension systems are to be systematized and analyzed on the basis of administrative microdata and dynamic simulation models. In contrast to the previous use of stylized biographies or empirical averages, the added value of the project lies in the analysis based on microdata as well as in the differentiated consideration of individual...

The effect of the demographic change on inequality and the role of the pension system: Evidence from social security data and a dynamic structural life-cycle model

The demographic change poses numerous challenges to societies in developed countries. In particular, the increasing longevity and the related ageing of societies affect the organization and the financing of the welfare state. Therefore, most governments have introduced or are about to design reforms of the welfare state, most important of the pension system. At the same time the increasing...

The gender wage gap and the role of policy: Analyzing patterns over time, over the life cycle and across the wage distribution

The gender wage gap is a persistent and pervasive phenomenon observable in virtually all countries. It has strong implications for a society since it is one main driver of inequality in a country. Therefore, there exists an active public debate and an important academic literature that describes and quantifies the gender wage gap, analyses the reasons for this gap and discusses potential policy...

The role of inherited wealth for wealth inequality in Germany

In this project, a top-corrected wealth distribution is estimated on the basis of the inheritance tax statistics and the SOEP. We analyze the concentration of wealth, the portfolios of the wealthy, the importance of inherited wealth, the gender inheritance gap and the gender wealth gap as well as reactions to inheritance taxation.

Unequal ageing: life-expectancy, care needs and reforms to the welfare state

The main objective of this project is to analyse how inequalities in old age have developed over time and birth cohorts, to what extent public policies have influenced these trends, and to assess the potential of sociopolitical reforms to reduce such inequalities. This project analyses and compares data and sociopolitical reforms (retirement and longterm care) from North America (Canada), Western...

Work and disability in old age: restriction and incentives

We conduct a stated preference experiment to analyze the effects of pension incentives, increasing retirement age, and provision of a partial retirement scheme on individuals’ preferences to work parttime and full-time beyond the early and legal retirement ages. We conduct the experiment in Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, and the United States for an international comparative analysis.

Labor Market and Welfare Effects of Family Policy – A Microsimulation Study für Germany 

Microsimulation Studies on Business and Income Taxation

Studies on Wealth Taxation

We analyzed the economic impact and institutional issues of wealth taxation (recurrent wealth tax, inheritance and gift tax, local taxes on land and buildings, one-time capital levy, real estate appraisal).

Work Incentives, Earnings-Related Subsidies, and Employment in Low-Wage Labor Markets - Empirical Analysis and Policy Simulations for Germany 

The goal of this project is to empirically analyze the work incentive and employment effects of earnings-related subsidies in the presence of high structural unemployment when labor market flexibility is hindered by wage rigidity related to institutional factors, in particular minimum wages and means-tested income support for unemployed people. We specify and estimate a structural microeconometric...

Adequacy and sustainability of old-age income maintenance (AIM)

Ageing, Health and Retirement in Europe (AGIR)