Publications Based on SOEP Data: SOEPlit

An economic valuation of natural land areas in Germany

The objective of this paper is to contribute to the environmental valuation literature by providing a comprehensive assessment of the economic value of land cover in Germany using two different approaches; the subjective well-being approach and the hedonic pricing approach. The empirical analysis is based on socio-economic information of the SOEP and detailed land cover information for more than 9000 ...

Digital Skills: Social Disparities and the Impact of Early Mentoring

We investigate social disparities in digital skills, focusing on both actual proficiency levels and confidence in these skills. Drawing on a representative sample from Germany, we first demonstrate that both dimensions strongly predict labor market success. We then use this sample to identify gender and socioeconomic disparities in levels and confidence. Finally, using a long-run RCT panel framework ...

Genetic and environmental contributions to the subjective burden of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic

Feelings of loneliness and the burden of social isolation were among the most striking consequences of widespread containment measures, such as “social distancing”, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the potential impact on people’s health, there has been increased interest in understanding the mechanisms and factors that contributed to feelings of loneliness and the burdens of social isolation. ...

Female employment and migration in European countries: Introduction to the Special Issue

Objective: This chapter introduces the reader to the Special Issue Female Employment and Migration in European Countries. Background: While there is a large body of research on the labour market performance of male migrants, women’s employment behaviour after migration has only recently moved into the focus of attention. Method: This Special Issue draws on various research methods and data sources, ...

Essays in Empirical Labour Economics (Dissertation)

The returns to school-quality-adjusted education of immigrants in Germany

This paper explores the role of school quality in immigrants’ home countries on their earnings in Germany, using native Germans as a benchmark. We propose an empirical analysis that highlights two important insights. First, there is a substantial gap in the returns to education between natives and immigrants in Germany, especially when we consider the quality of schooling in the source country where ...

The Causal Impact of Gender Norms on Mothers' Employment Attitudes and Expectations

This field experiment investigates the causal impact of mothers' perceptions of gender norms on their employment attitudes and labor-supply expectations. We provide mothers of young children in Germany with information about the prevailing gender norm regarding maternal employment in their city. At baseline, over 70% of mothers incorrectly perceive this gender norm as too conservative. Our randomized ...

Would a four-day-week improve individual well-being? Evidence on working hours and life satisfaction from German panel data

The four-day-week receives growing attention by companies, researchers, and governments. A core premise of the concept is that reducing working hours increases individual well-being. While trials in public and private organisations support this claim, empirical studies on the relationship between working hours and well-being do not offer conclusive evidence. This study contributes to the academic literature ...

Perceived Economic Uncertainty and Fertility - Evidence from a Labor Market Reform

Empirical evidence on the causal effect of perceived economic uncertainty (PEU) on fertility is sparse and results are ambiguous. To provide causal evidence on the effect of PEU on fertility, we exploit exogenous variation in PEU induced by the announcement of a major German unemployment benefit reform in an instrumental variable approach. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we estimate ...

“Like two peas in a pod?” Homogamous personalities, education, and union dissolution

This paper examines the association between the level of similarity in the “Big Five” personality traits of the partners in different-sex couples and their risk of union dissolution. Prior research has mainly focused on homogamy in socio-economic, demographic, and cultural characteristics, such as age, education, employment, and religion. The few studies on the effects of homogamy in the personalities ...