Against the background of the current discussion of statutory minimum wages in Germany, this paper analyzes the potential employment and fiscal effects of such a policy. Based on estimated labor demand elasticities obtained from a structural labor demand model, the empirical results imply that...

In Deutschland wird bereits seit einiger Zeit eine lebhafte Debatte um die Einführung von Mindestlöhnen geführt. Kritiker des Mindestlohns verweisen insbesondere auf zu erwartende erhebliche Beschäftigungsverluste durch Einführung einer Lohnuntergrenze, Befürworter dagegen argumentieren...

This paper provides a comprehensive account of the regulations governing the systems of unemployment support and social assistance in post-transition Poland. To provide a solid foundation for a discussion of these issues, the paper extensively characterizes the Polish force in terms of the...

Young adults are the most hit by the current economic crisis. This can be observed in high youth unemployment rates in countries like Spain. At the same time fertility is relatively low in the most concerned countries whereas those in their fertile phase experience high unemployment rates. Based...

"On January 1st, 1997, minimum wages were introduced in the German main construction sector. We examine the effects of this wage regulation on various aspects of the labour market of this sector, particularly the effects on wages and employment. In East Germany, at the time of its introduction,...

The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) is a rotational panel provided by Eurostat that covers variables with a high potential for comparative European labour market and social research. Unfortunately, its current availability limits its potential research...

Since ethnic clustering is common in Germany, a better understanding of its effects on the integration of immigrants could be important for integration policies, especially in the light of rising immigration and a skilled worker shortage. Yet, both economic theory and empirical research for...

"Scarce empirical evidence exists for Germany regarding the cyclical aspects of worker reallocation. Furthermore, it is assumed that the cyclical influence on transition rates is the same for all demographic groups. However, one can expect that each subgroup is differentially influenced by the...