We identify the causal effect of a reduction in military personnel on a number of socioeconomic indicators within the peripheries of military bases. The base realignments and closures in Germany are used as an exogenous source of variation that allows us to identify the effect of a demand shock...

Abstract This article discusses the necessary measures for a successful integration of the currently large number of refugees into the German labor market. It is argued that the integration of these refugees will depend largely on the transferability of their human capital to the necessities of...

Summary Using data on the valuation of Christmas gifts received by students enrolled in different fields at a German university, we investigate whether the endowment effect, the difference between asking and bidding prices, differs between males and females, students of economics and other...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of sheepskin effects in the return to education in Japan. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a short description of the Japanese schooling and recruitment system. It then describes the data set and the empirical...

We identify the causal effect of compulsory military service on conscripts’ subsequent labor-market outcomes by exploiting the regression-discontinuity design of the military draft in Germany during the 1950s. Consistent estimates of military service on lifetime earnings, wages, and days of...

In spite of its importance for civil society, we know relatively little about the way in which individuals spend their time and money in the charitable provision of goods and services. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive picture of the philanthropic behavior in Europe by analyzing both,...

Based on multivariate linear regression models, we analyze the effect of the lunar cycle and the number of sunspots occurring on a particular day on the number of births using social security data and controlling for a number of other potential confounders. The daily numbers of births between...

This study analyses employers' support for the introduction of industry-specific minimum wages as a cost-raising strategy in order to deter market entry. Using a unique data set consisting of 800 firms in the German service sector, we show that high-productivity employers support minimum wages....

To estimate the causal effect of conscription on the probability to obtain a university degree, we use a regression-discontinuity design associated with the introduction of conscription in Germany. There is evidence that conscription increased the likelihood of completing higher education.