Publications Based on SOEP Data: SOEPlit

The Link Between Political Participation and Life Satisfaction: A Three Wave Causal Analysis of the German SOEP Household Panel

Is there a relationship between political participation and individual life satisfaction? The idea that political participation makes people more satisfied with their lives has long been debated. However, the existing empirical research has not been very successful in demonstrating that such a relationship exists while some studies show that instead it is individual life satisfaction that impacts political ...

Assimilation and the Earnings of Guestworkers in Germany

Continuous Training in Germany

Money and Happiness: Evidence from the Industry Wage Structure

There is a well-established positive correlation between life-satisfaction measures and income in individual level cross-sectional data. This paper attempts to provide some evidence on whether this correlation reflects causality running from money to happiness. I use industry wage differentials as instruments for income. This is based on the idea that at least part of these differentials are due to ...

Measurement of Poverty - Examplified by the German Case

Similarity in Response Behavior between Household Members - An Application to Income Evaluation

In many household surveys questions are posed to one of the members of the household, assuming that he represents the household. For observed behavior this is mostly permissible; however, for attitudes and opinions, the representativeness is dubious. In this note we report our finding that for subjective questions of the Leyden-type both adult partners appear to answer almost identically.

Can Low-Wage Employment Help People Escape from the No-Pay – Low-Income Trap?

The experience of unemployment itself increases the risk of staying unemployed, and the unemployed face a high poverty risk. Moreover, experiencing poverty reduces the chances of reemployment. As wage inequality has expanded in recent decades, low-paid employment and in-work poverty have both risen. This study analyzes whether low-pay employment helps people escape the no-pay – low-income trap. Survey ...

On the Location Choice of Newly Arrived Immigrants in Germany

An Econometric Model of the Two-Part Decisionmaking Process in the Demand for Health Care

How the Human Capital Model Explains Why the Gender Wage Gap Narrowed