Documents Riphahn, Regina T. 13 results

"We study the short, medium, and longer run employment effects of a substantial change in the parental leave benefit program in Germany. In 2007, a means-tested parental leave transfer program that had paid benefits for up to two years was replaced by an earnings related transfer which paid benefits for up to one year. The reform generated winners and losers with heterogeneous response incentives. We find that the reform speeds up the labor market return of both groups of mothers after benefit expiration. The overall time until an average mother with (without) prior claims to benefits returns to the labor force after childbirth declined after the reform by 10 (8) months at the median. We show that likely pathways for this substantial reform effect are changes in social norms and mothers' preferences for economic independence."

"We study the returns to apprenticeship and vocational training for three early labor market outcomes all measured at age 25 for East and West German youths: non-employment (i.e., unemployment or out of the labor force), permanent fulltime employment, and wages. We find strong positive effects of apprenticeship and vocational training. There are no significant differences for different types of vocational training, minor differences between East and West Germany and males and females, and no significant changes in the returns over time. Instrumental variable estimations confirm the regression results. The positive returns hold up even in poor labor market situations."

"We study the returns to apprenticeship and vocational training for three early labor market outcomes all measured at age 25 for East and West German youths: non-employment (i.e., unemployment or out of the labor force), permanent fulltime employment, and wages. We find strong positive effects of apprenticeship and vocational training. There are no significant differences for different types of vocational training, minor differences between East and West Germany and males and females, and no significant changes in the returns over time. Instrumental variable estimations confirm the regression results. The positive returns hold up even in poor labor market situations."

"We investigate the responsiveness of individual retirement decisions to changes in financial incentives. A reform increased women's normal retirement age (NRA) in two steps from age 62 to age 63 first and then to age 64. At the same time retirement at the previous NRA became possible at a benefit discount. Since the reform affected specific birth cohorts we can identify causal effects. We find strong and robust behavioral effects of changes in financial retirement incentives. A permanent reduction of retirement benefits by 3.4% induces a decline in the age-specific annual retirement probability by over 50%. The response to changes in financial retirement benefits varies with educational background: those with low education respond most strongly to an increase in the price of leisure."

"This study uses recent data taken from the German Socio-Economic Panel (2002-2006) to evaluate the extent of and heterogeneity in returns to tenure for men in eastern and western Germany, employed in both the private and the public sector. We find significantly different wage patterns in eastern and western Germany as well as between the private and public sectors. Irrespective of the particular subsample, the application of the Altonji-Shakotko estimation approach yields minute and insignificant returns to tenure and more substantial returns to experience. The profile of the eastern German wage structure is surprisingly flat: after the first ten years of experience - and in contrast to the situation in western Germany - there appear to be no returns to additional general human capital."

"Der Beitrag fasst die Ergebnisse einer Reihe von Untersuchungen zusammen, die sich auf Basis der Daten des deutschen Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) mit der Lohnstruktur auf deutschen Arbeitsmärkten beschäftigen. Die Analysen nutzen neben Kleinstquadrateschätzern die von Altonji und Shakotko, Rev. Econ. Stud. 54, 437 (1987) und von Topel, J. Polit Econ. 99(1), 145 (1991) verwendeten Schätzverfahren. Diese berücksichtigen die Endogenität der Indikatoren von firmenspezifischer und allgemeiner Arbeitsmarkterfahrung. Der Fokus des Beitrages liegt auf der Analyse möglicher Heterogenitäten in den Lohnstrukturen im privaten und im öffentlichen Sektor, in Ost- und in Westdeutschland, für Männer und Frauen sowie bei Arbeitgebern in großen und kleinen Unternehmen. Die interessantesten Ergebnisse heben deutliche Unterschiede zwischen Ost und West sowie zwischen großen und kleinen Unternehmen hervor. "

"We apply German Mikrozensus data for the period 1996 to 2004 to investigate the employment status of mothers. Specifically, we ask whether there are behavioral differences between mothers in East and West Germany, whether these differences disappear over time, and whether there are differences in the developments for high and low skilled females. We find substantial differences in the employment behavior of East and West German mothers. German family policy sets incentives particularly for low income mothers not to return to the labor market after birth. This seems to affect the development of East-West German employment differences as East German women with low earnings potentials appear to adopt West German low employment patterns over time."