Publications Based on SOEP Data: SOEPlit

Happiness: A Revolution in Economics

Being Independent is a Great Thing: Subjective Evaluations of Self-Employment and Hierarchy

The Life Satisfaction Approach to Environmental Valuation

In many countries environmental policies and regulations are implemented to improve environmental quality and thus individuals' well-being. However, how do individuals value the environment? In this paper, we review the Life Satisfaction Approach (LSA) representing a new non-market valuation technique. The LSA builds on the recent development of subjective well-being research in economics and ...

What Can Economists Learn from Happiness Research?

Happiness Research: State and Prospects

Testing Theories of Happiness

Latter-day researches based on reported subjective well-being have improved the understanding of utility. The concept of utility has acquired a psychological content, and has proved to be operational in researches on income, unemployment, inflation, inequality, and democratic institutions in their relations with happiness. The authors plead for fostering happiness researches, and give examples in which ...

Economic Consequences of Mispredicting Utility

In a simple conceptual framework, we organize a multitude of phenomena related to the (mis)prediction of utility. Consequences in terms of distorted choices and lower well-being emerge if people have to trade-off between alternatives that are characterized by attributes satisfying extrinsic desires and alternatives serving intrinsic needs. Thereby the neglect of asymmetries in adaptation is proposed ...

Household composition and Savings: An Empirical Analysis based on the German SOEP data

Income Distribution: An Important Factor for Economic Forecasts

The development of private consumption is a crucial factor in compiling macroeconomic projections as part of national accounts. Household savings also play an important role as an explanatory variable for consumer development, since private households must decide whether to spend their incomes on consumption or saving. The estimated savings rate in DIW Berlin's economic projections can be improved ...

Does Naturalization Facilitate Integration? A Longitudinal Study on the Consequences of Citizenship Acquisition for Immigrants’ Identification with Germany

Der Beitrag geht der Frage nach, ob Einbürgerung die Identifikation mit dem Aufnahmeland beeinflusst. Untersucht wird dies mit den Daten des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels, ausgehend von Evidenzen zu positiven Effekten der Einbürgerung für die strukturelle Integration von Migranten. Einbürgerung wird verstanden als individuelle Investition in die Integration und einmaliges Ereignis im Lebensverlauf von ...