Publications Based on SOEP Data: SOEPlit

Generational variation and life‑course accumulation of social inequalities in all-cause mortality in Germany: a cohort-sequential study

Social inequalities in mortality persist as a public health challenge across Europe, including Germany, despite significant health gains. Research shows a lasting social gradient in survival. However, comprehensive longitudinal evidence on cohort and life-course dynamics is limited. We examine trends in social inequalities in all-cause mortality, cohort differences, and whether cumulative low-SES exposure ...

Impact of subsidized childcare on maternal employment: A comparative study on native and migrant women in Germany

This study explores the impact of subsidized childcare on maternal employment, focusing on the heterogeneous effects of Germany's Childcare Funding Act (2013) on native and first- and second-generation migrant mothers. Despite lower childcare use and higher unemployment rates among migrant women, research on this topic has been limited. Using the SOEP dataset from 2010 to 2019 and a triple difference ...

German Economy on the Upswing - Global Economy Continues to Grow Moderately

After three years of subdued economic activity, the German economy is on the road to recovery. While the Iran war and erratic U.S. trade policy are weighing on growth, their impact is only moderate. Although the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that U.S. tariffs are unlawful, this does not change the tariff rates imposed on German exports, as the agreement with the European Union is assumed to remain in ...

Are the children of homeowners increasingly advantaged? Trends in relative and absolute mobility of homeownership in Europe. European Sociological Review

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 ...

The Role of Settlement Intentions (Un-)Certainty in the Labour Market Integration of Ukrainian Refugees in Germany

This article examines how (un-)certainty in settlement intentions affects the socio-economic integration of Ukrainian refugees in Germany, using longitudinal data from the IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP survey. Applying an instrumental variable approach, we estimate the effects of permanent, temporary, and uncertain settlement intentions on employment, employment aspirations, and host-country language proficiency. ...

Stick and Stay, Make it Pay? Time Preferences and Marginal (Dis)Utility of Relative Concerns

Individuals’ preferences for immediate gratification versus their ability to postpone it, i.e., time preferences, might be related to their marginal utility or disutility stemming from an increase in the income of comparable others, i.e., relative concerns. We argue that while an increase in others’ income might lead to a higher level of marginal disutility for those seeking immediate gratification, ...

Wealth and its Distribution in Germany, 1895–2021

German history over the past 125 years has been turbulent. Marked by two world wars, revolutions and major regime changes, as well as a hyperinflation and three currency reforms, expropriations and territorial divisions, it comprises extreme shocks to study the role of historical events, taxation, asset price changes, portfolio heterogeneity in affecting the wealth distribution in the long run. Combining ...

The recent refugees’ inflow and the life satisfaction of residents in Germany

While refugee inflows into Germany have typically been relatively moderate in recent decades, specific exogenous political events such as the Yugoslav civil war in the early 1990s, the intensifying of the Syrian civil war around 2015, and the war in Ukraine since 2022, have generated substantial spikes in refugee arrivals, affecting the receiving society in multiple ways. This study examines the possible ...

Technological progress, occupational structure and gender gaps in the German labour market

This study examines whether advances in technology and shifts in the occupational structure have enhanced women's position within the labour market. It answers the following research questions: First, how has the occupational employment structure evolved over the last decades, and how is this related to gender gaps? Second, which factors explain the gender gap and its narrowing over time?We use ...