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This paper studies inequality of opportunity (IOp) in individual net wealth in Germany from 2002 to 2019 using the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). Applying the ex-ante IOp framework, we quantify the share of wealth inequality attributable to immutable circumstances and benchmark it against IOp in gross labour earnings. Relative IOp in net wealth is high?slightly above one half of total wealth inequality?and ...
In:
Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics
(online first) (2026),
| Daniel Graeber, Johannes König, Viola Hilbert
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This paper explores the effect of COVID-19 infection rates on individuals’ risk preferences using the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), a large population-wide random sample. Exploiting county-level variation in a difference-in-differences design, we find that risk preferences remain unchanged: the effect is precisely estimated at 2.1% of a standard deviation (95% CI: [−0.4%, +4.6%]), ruling out economically ...
In:
Journal of Risk and Uncertainty
(2026),
| Daniel Graeber, Ulrich Schmidt, Carsten Schröder, Johannes Seebauer
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Climate change triggers anxiety in many people. Concerns about the consequences of climate change vary significantly not just by age and generation but also over time. Using German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) data, this Weekly Report examines the extent to which these differences stem from age-related effects, generational socialization, or year-specific events. The results show that climate concerns ...
In:
DIW Weekly Report
18/19 (2026), 157–163
| Daniel Graeber, Laura Schmitz, Franziska Holz
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Longitudinal surveys play a central role in social science research and policy advice but increasing demands for timely data pose substantial challenges for managing time, resources, and data quality across survey waves. While the Survey Life Cycle (SLC) provides a well established framework for organizing survey production, it is primarily geared toward single wave studies and offers limited guidance ...
In:
Survey Practice
20 (2026),
| Florian Griese, Christian Hunkler, Sabine Zinn
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Parenthood has been linked to changes in health-related behavior, though studies have reported mixed findings on whether these changes are beneficial or harmful. To date, most research has focused on associations between parenthood and individual health behaviors, while research on the association with overall health lifestyles is limited. This study investigates how health lifestyles change following ...
In:
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
23 (2026), 7, 926
| Maja Großbach, Philipp Linden, Nadine Reibling
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The positive link between work-related moves and income is well-established, but little robust evidence exists on whether the distance moved matters in this relationship. There are, however, theoretical arguments on why distance should shape the economic rewards from moving for work. To address this research gap, we draw on longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP, N?=?154,236 person-years). ...
In:
Population, Space and Place
32 (2026), 1,
| Elias Hofmann, Nico Stawarz, Heiko Rüger, Clara H. Mulder
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We study the effect of education on health (hospital stays, number of diagnosed conditions, poor or bad self-rated health, and body mass index) over the life cycle, using German compulsory schooling reforms as a source of exogenous variation. Our results show clear correlations between educational attainment and better health across all age groups (30 to 74). However, we do not find causal relationships ...
In:
European Journal of Health Economics
(2026),
| Johannes Hollenbach, Hendrik Schmitz, Beatrice Baaba Tawiah
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Abstract Research on the consequences of works councils has been dominated by economic aspects. Our study provides evidence that works councils have non-financial consequences for society that go beyond the boundaries of the workplace. Using panel data from a large sample of workers in Germany, we show that works councils have an influence on workers? party preferences. Works council presence is negatively ...
In:
British Journal of Industrial Relations
62 (2024), 4, 849–877
| Uwe Jirjahn, Thi Xuan Thu Le
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Technological progress is rapidly changing the labor market. We investigate how the interaction between new technologies and on the job training is related to wages and job mobility. Understanding this relationship is important, as individuals' willingness to engage in training largely depends on the expected returns to training.We employ German individual-level panel data (N = 44,791) on training ...
In:
International Journal of Manpower
47 (2026), 10, 18–34
| Roman Klauser, Marcus Tamm
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The expansion of wind energy has intensified debate about potential impacts on the health and wellbeing of nearby residents, yet empirical evidence remains mixed. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) linked to administrative records on onshore wind turbines, we analyse changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) associated with turbine construction in Germany between 2002 and ...
In:
Scientific Reports
16 (2026), 1,
| Gundi Knies, Jens Jetzkowitz