Publications Based on SOEP Data: SOEPlit

The Weight Wage Penalty: A Mechanism Approach to Discrimination

The wage weight penalty is a well-established finding in the literature, but not much is known about the mechanisms that bring this phenomenon about. This article aims to provide answers to the question of why overweight and obese people earn less. Using the data of the German Socio-Economic Panel, we conduct three theory-driven litmus tests for mechanisms that explain the weight wage gap: human capital ...

Differences in earnings distribution of self- and dependent employed German men – evidence from a quantile regression decomposition analysis

This paper uses data from the German Socio-Economic Panel for the years 2000 to 2005 to study the earnings differential between self- and dependent employed German men. Constructing a counterfactual earnings distribution for the self-employed in dependent employment and using quantile regression decompositions we find that the earnings differential over the distribution cannot be explained by differences ...

Other-regarding preferences, spousal disability and happiness: Evidence from German couples

This paper considers the impact of adverse health shocks that hit an individual’s partner on subjective well-being. Using data on couples from the German Socio-Economic Panel for the years 1984 to 2006, I compare the losses in well-being caused by own and spousal disability using panel-regressions. I find that women and to a lesser extent men are harmed by spousal disability which is consistent with ...

The role of psychological traits for the gender gap in full-time employment and wages: Evidence from Germany

This paper shows that differences in various non-cognitive traits, specifically the “big five”, positive and negative reciprocity, locus of control and risk aversion, contribute to gender inequalities in wages and employment. Using the 2004 and 2005 waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel, evidence from regression and decomposition techniques suggests that gender differences in psychological traits ...

Optimal Tax Progressivity in Unionised Labour Markets: Simulation Results for Germany

Changing the income tax progressivity in labour markets with collective wage bargaining generates a trade-off. On the one hand, higher progressivity distorts individual labour supply decisions at the hours-of-work margin, on the other hand, it reduces unemployment by exerting downward pressure on wages. This trade-off is quantitatively assessed using a numerical model for Germany. The model combines ...

Heterogeneous Labour Markets in a Microsimulation-AGE Model: Application to Welfare Reforms in Germany

Discrete Working Time Choice in an Applied General Equilibrium Model

Reforming Social Welfare in Germany - An Applied General Equilibrium Analysis

IT and Communication Technologies Dominate Adolescent Downtime

Today’s teenagers spend their free time very differently than they did 15 years ago: engagement with IT and communications technologies is now their most significant leisure activity. Representative statistics based on data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) longitudinal study indicate that Internet and computer-based recreation plays a major role for more than 95 percent of all 17-year-olds in Germany, ...

Model Event History of Car and License Availability: How Accessibility Shapes Acquisition and Disposal of Cars

Sound forecasts of car and driver’s license availability are crucial for accurate estimates of future mobility trends and the development of planning strategies. Often these forecasts ignore dynamic trends and spatial influences. Cross-sectional analysis reveals that in areas with good accessibility by alternative modes, many households live with no or only one car even if they can afford a vehicle. ...