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Inequality of Opportunity in Wealth: Levels, Trends and Drivers in Germany

This paper studies inequality of opportunity (IOp) in individual net wealth in Germany from 2002 to 2019 using the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). Applying the ex-ante IOp framework, we quantify the share of wealth inequality attributable to immutable circumstances and benchmark it against IOp in gross labour earnings. Relative IOp in net wealth is high—slightly above one half of total wealth inequality—and ...

Sustainable Finance Taxonomies – Designed to Support the Transition to a Net-Zero Economy?

A growing number of sustainable finance taxonomies aim to redirect capital towards climate change mitigation. Yet achieving net zero requires not only financing green economic activities but also transitional economic activities – hence activities that currently lack viable low-carbon alternatives but are required for a low carbon economy. Using comparative policy analysis, this article seeks to understand ...

Residential Heat Energy Savings During a Crisis: How much Do Retail Prices Matter?

The 2022 energy crisis led to sharp energy price surges and prompted public appeals and government programs to reduce energy consumption. This paper isolates energy savings driven by retail price increases from non-price driven savings attributable to other crisisrelated factors such as public appeals. Using German residential energy billing data and a DiD-PSM approach, we identify average price-driven ...

Berlin Macro Seminar

Social Origin, the Class Ceiling in Earnings, and Job Task Segregation: Evidence from Germany

Social class origin is closely linked to individuals' labor market outcomes. This study examines the class ceiling—the earnings disadvantage that those from lower-class origins experience within higher-class occupations. We propose that job task segregation, i.e., the non-random selection into different task profiles within granular occupations, contributes to the class ceiling. We study these dynamics ...

Job Market Interview Training 2026 (“Mock Interviews”)

A face to face interview is something every student will go through at some point in their career. In the academic job market, it is the central process to convince potential employers of your future research prospects. Outside academia the focus is less on research, but performing well in the interview is nonetheless essential to get the job you want. Handling a job interview successfully is not...

Mehr Fordern fördern? Einschätzungen von Jobcenter-Beschäftigten zu Kernelementen des Bürgergeldes

Während die öffentliche Diskussion über das Bürgergeld seit der Einführung kontrovers verlaufen ist, wurde die Perspektive der Jobcenter-Beschäftigten bislang vernachlässigt – obwohl sie als „street-level bureaucrats“ zentral für die Umsetzung der Reform sind. Vor diesem Hintergrund beleuchtet der Beitrag auf Basis von Daten einer bundesweiten standardisierten Online-Erhebung unter Jobcenter-Beschäftigten, ...

The Personal Is Political: Five Essays in Labor and Family Economics

Diese Dissertation besteht aus fünf unabhängigen Kapiteln, die zur Literatur der Arbeits- und Familienökonomik beitragen. Sie untersucht, wie individuelle Handlungen, die häufig als private Entscheidungen erscheinen, etwa ob und wo man studiert, wie viele Stunden man arbeitet, wie Betreuung innerhalb von Familien organisiert wird oder ob man eine gewalttätige Beziehung verlässt, durch öffentliche Politikmaßnahmen ...

Personality Traits of Entrepreneurs and the Size of Their Firms

In this study, we examine the relationship between personality traits, captured by risk tolerance and the Big Five traits, and firm size, as measured by the number of employees. We show that the personality of entrepreneurs matters for the size of their firm they operate. We use a novel add-on to the German Socio-Economic Panel that includes a sub-sample of owner-managers running larger firms. High ...

IMF Economist Program - Recruitment Outreach 2027

We are pleased to inform you that representatives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will visit the DIW Berlin to present the IMF Economist Program (EP) — an entry program for young economists who wish to pursue an international career in economic policy and research. The IMF Economist Program is designed for talented economists who are close to completing or have recently completed a PhD...