Individual preferences with respect to risk taking play an important role in financial economic behaviour and, hence, in financial markets. Using German microdata, we argue that individual religiosity is a determinant of household willingness to take risks, since it shapes relevant individual...

Assuming that certain religious beliefs, as a proxy for one’s cultural background, may inhibit wealth accumulation, individual savings behavior in the USA with its vital religious market is examined. Using data from the US Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), I found notable differences in...

The participation rate of women in the labor market shows a sizeable variation across countries and across time. Following studies conducted for North America, this section tests the hypothesis whether, next to structural conditions, cultural norms with regard to existing role models within...

In recent years layoffs have increasingly become the focus of public attention. So far, however, there has been no representative study for Germany of how far and under what conditions layoffs are accepted by the population - in other words by people who are not immediately affected. Principles...

Human capital and deferred compensation might explain why firms employ but do not hire older workers. Adjustments of wage-tenure profiles for older new entrants are explored in the context of deferred compensation. From an equity theory perspective, such adjustments might lead to adverse...

The paper analyzes the determinants of part-time employment, mini- and midi-jobs in Germany. Theory implies that all three employment types could be used as instruments of flexibility to react flexibly to demand shocks. But the empirical analysis shows that only mini- and midi-jobs are...

The authors address the issue of effectiveness of medical rehabilitation in terms of labor market outcomes by analyzing a large representative administrative panel data set for Germany. The research design focuses on socio-demographic group differences in before-after differences in days with...

We use the World Bank enterprise survey for the Egyptian manufacturing sector to study the correlation between the ownership structure (private vs. public, Egyptian vs. Arab foreign vs. non-Arab foreign) and firm performance, which we measure as sales per worker, capacity utilization, and net...

"This empirical research note uses linked employer-employee data from the German Federal Statistical Office to estimate wage differentials between workers with fixed-term contracts and permanent contracts. The data set allows to analyze wage differentials within firms and across the wage...

We analyze the impact of participation in sports activities during adolescence and as an adult on labour market earnings. Sport might increase productivity due to better physical and social skills. Using the rich information from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), we estimate earnings...