Publications Based on SOEP Data: SOEPlit

Millennials' Public Service Motivation and Sector Choice: A Panel Study of Job Entrants in Germany

The construct of public service motivation (PSM) has gained a lot of attention as a motivational force for joining the public sector. However, since its introduction by Perry and Wise (1990), research based on longitudinal data linking PSM with actual behavior, i.e. joining the public sector, has remained scarce, particularly with respect to Germany. Based on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel ...

Fertility progression in Germany: An analysis using flexible nonparametric cure survival models

Objective: This paper uses data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) to study the transition to second and third births. In particular, we seek to distinguish the factors that determine the timing of fertility from the factors that influence ultimate parity progression. Methods: We employ cure survival models, a technique commonly used in epidemiological studies and in the statistical literature ...

Unemployment and portfolio choice: Does persistence matter?

Households can rely on private savings or on public unemployment insurance to hedge against the risk of becoming unemployed. These hedging mechanisms are used differently across countries. In this paper, we use a life cycle model to study the effects of unemployment on the portfolio choice of households in the US and in Germany. We distinguish short- and long-term unemployment and find that, in case ...

Unemployed - and Unwilling to Work?

Income Growth in German Households - East Germany Falls Behind

Five Years after the Reform of the Social and Unemployment Benefits in Germany

Great expectations were connected with the so-called Hartz IV reform which came into effect five years ago. In fact the number of unemployed recipients of Hartz IV benefits drastically went down during the last economic rebound. In earlier economic cycles the number of unemployed recipients of social benefits had stagnated in phases of recovery. But this alone is only a weak sign for success: Firstly, ...

Entry into entrepreneurship, endogenous adaption of risk attitudes and entrepreneurial survival

Empirical studies use the assumption of stability in individual risk attitudes when searching for a relationship between attitude to risk and the decision to become and survive as an entrepreneur. We show that risk attitudes do not remain stable but face endogenous adaption when starting a new business. This adaption is associated with entrepreneurial survival. The results show that entrepreneurs with ...

On the simultaneity bias in the relationship between risk attitudes, entry into entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial survival

We consider the simultaneity bias when examining the effect of individual risk attitudes on entrepreneurship. We demonstrate that entry into self-employment is related to changes in risk attitudes. We further show that these changes are correlated with the probability to remain in entrepreneurship.

Evaluating Parametric Income Distribution Models

Male Pre and Post Tax Inequality: A Six Country Comparison