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Decarbonisation of Energy: Determining a Robust Mix of Energy Carriers for a Carbon-Neutral EU

Mindestlohn und Arbeitsintensität: Evidenz aus Deutschland

2015 wurde nach jahrelangen und zum Teil heftigen politischen Diskussionender gesetzliche Mindestlohn in Deutschland eingeführt. Seitens der Gegner undSkeptiker dieser Reform wurden vielfältige negative Folgen eines gesetzlichenMindestlohns antizipiert. So wurde unter anderem argumentiert, dass einMindestlohn und dessen geplante regelmäßige Anpassung zu einer gesteigertenArbeitsintensität in den Mindestlohnbereichen ...

Highway Conditions and Insufficient Maintenance in Germany: A Threat for Economic Growth?

We analyse the impact of transportation infrastructure capital and its maintenance status on regionaleconomic production, exploiting panel data on the German county level (N = 401) between 2007 and2016 in a spatial translog production function. Various SLX and SDEM models are estimated usingFGLS and GMM estimators accounting for endogeneity. We find a positive impact of the transportinfrastructure ...

Firms in (Green) Public Procurement: Financial Strength Indicators’ Impact on Contract Awards and Its Repercussion on Financial Strength

We examine whether the financial strength of companies, in particular, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is causally linked to the award of a public procurement contract (PP), especially in the environmentally friendly “green” area (GPP). For this purpose, we build a combined procurement company data set from the Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) and the SME database AMADEUS, which includes ten ...

The Effects of an Increase in the Retirement Age on Health: Evidence from Administrative Data

This study analyzes the causal effect of an increase in the retirement age on health. We exploit a sizable cohort-specific pension reform for women using two complementary empirical approaches - a Regression Discontinuity Design and a Difference-in- Differences approach. The analysis is based on official records covering all individuals insured by the public health system in Germany and including all ...

Grading in Secondary Schools in Germany: The Impact of Social Origin and Gender

In the German school system, grades are the essential means of performance feedback and assignment. However, little research has been conducted on the factors that determine grades in addition to competencies, and existing findings are poorly replicated. Using data from the representative IQB Trends in Student Performance 2015 survey, our analysis combined a variety of personal and structural characteristics ...

COP26 statement on coal exit

As COP26 drew to a close earlier this month, almost 200 nations agreed to “phase down” coal power in the coming years. How this is done, for coal and other fossil fuels, will have implications for individuals and communities that depend on these resources for their livelihoods.  The case study conducted by DIW Berlin focuses on Germany and the efforts it has undertaken to support ...

Antitrust Policy and Innovation

Innovation has recently come to the attention of Antitrust Authorities, even though the effect of mergers on innovation is still hotly debated. I study how the activity of Antitrust Authorities impacts future innovation of merging firms. Exploiting a change in notification rules I build an event study comparing mergers notified to the authorities with non-notified ones. I develop a new methodology...

Infektionsrisiko mit SARS-CoV-2 von Beschäftigten in Gesundheitsberufen während der Pandemie: Ergebnisse einer bundesweiten seroepidemiologischen Studie

Overcoming Barriers to Service Access: Refugees’ Professional Support Service Utilization and the Impact of Human and Social Capital

After arriving in a new country, refugees are most often dependent on professional support to reestablish their livelihood. It is however well documented that refugees face barriers when seeking access to services aimed at facilitating their settlement and integration. This study examines refugees’ support service needs and their actual utilization and investigates the impact of social and human capital ...