Documents Wolf, André 6 results

"This paper estimates size and impact factors of the gender pay gap in Europe. It adds to the literature in three aspects. First, we update existing figures on the gender pay gaps in the EU based on the Structure of Earnings Survey 2010 (SES). Second, we enrich the literature by undertaking comprehensive country comparisons of the gap components based on an Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition. Overall, we analyze 21 EU countries plus Norway, which clearly exceeds the scope of existing microdata studies. Third, we examine the sources of the unexplained gap. We find that about one third of the gap can be traced back to the role of the explanatory factors included in our analysis. The sectoral segregation of genders is identified as the most important barrier to gender pay equality in European countries. In addition, the fact that part-time positions are more frequent among women notably contributes to the gap. We conclude that policies aiming at closing the gender pay gap should focus more on the sector level than on the aggregate economy."

"This study investigates the incidence of overeducation among workers in the EU and its underlying factors based on the most recent wave of the European Labor Force Survey (EU-LFS 2013). Its main purpose is to shed light on the interplay of so far neglected explanatory factors such as household characteristics and field of study as well as to reveal country differences in the impact of these factors. Therefore, our innovative features are the large number of determinants as well as the considerable amount of European countries simultaneously analyzed. Moreover, we differentiate in our analysis between high- and medium-skilled workers. Our findings point to a considerable variation in the potential determinants of overeducation across countries as well as across skill levels. This variation is not restricted to jobrelated characteristics, but interestingly also concerns household variables. Among those determinants showing a largely uniform influence are nationality, job tenure, temporary employment and presence of unemployed household members."

"This study investigates the incidence of overeducation among graduate workers in 21 EU countries and its underlying factors based on the European Labor Force Survey 2016 (EU-LFS). Although controlling for a wide range of covariates, the particular interest lies in the role of fields of study for vertical educational mismatch. The study reveals country and gender differences in the impact of these factors. Compared to Social Sciences, male graduates from e.g. Education, Health and Welfare, Engineering, and ICT are less and those from e.g. Services and Natural Sciences are more at risk in a clear majority of countries. These findings hold for the majority of countries and are robust against a change of the standard education. However, countries show different gendered patterns of field-specific risks. We suggest that occupational closure, productivity signals and gender stereotypes answer for these cross-field and cross-country differentials. Moreover, country fixed effects point to relevant structural differences between national labour markets and between educational systems."

"The European Union has set an ambitious target to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, while at the same time ensuring economic and social sustainability. The European Green Deal lays out a path towards realising this target, accelerating policy change that touches upon many aspects of the economy and society. What are the main challenges to the implementation of the European Green Deal? What are the costs and benefits of decarbonisation? Which industrial policy is needed to turn decarbonisation into an economic opportunity for Europe? How to finance the transition to a low-carbon economy? Which trade policy instruments could create incentives for more climate protection? This Forum seeks to answer these questions, discussing the key issues and reviewing the different policy perspectives on climate change mitigation in the European Union."

"The possibility of producing hydrogen as an energy carrier or raw material through electrolysis of water, so-called green hydrogen, has been on the table as a technological option for a long time. However, low conversion efficiency and a dubious climate balance have stood in the way of large-scale application ever since. Within the last three to four years, however, this view has changed significantly. In addition to technological improvements, the increasing speed of the expansion of volatile renewable energies in Europe has also contributed to this, since in principle a nearly climate-neutral utilisation of excess generation is possible through the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier in electrolysis. "

"With its communication “Sustainable Carbon Cycles”, the European Commission has opened a new chapter in European climate policy. For the first time, natural and artificial CO2 capture and storage technologies are to be covered jointly in an overarching regulatory approach. This article reviews the techno-economic potentials of the application fields envisaged by the Commission's strategy, and defines central requirements for a future funding framework. The establishment of markets for carbon credits is identified as a basis for commercialising storage solutions. However, a prerequisite for efficient trading is to create transparency about the climate impact of the technology alternatives. Efforts to improve existing measurement concepts and test procedures as well as the development of certified standards are decisive steps on this path. The time horizon of carbon sequestration should be a crucial aspect in certification and monitoring. Double funding and unnecessary subsidisation of activities that are already profitable today need to be avoided."