Complementing research on the effect of patience on individual behavior, we present empirical evidence that patience is an important determinant of long-run income differences between countries. To account for a potential endogeneity bias, we instrument patience by information on how languages...

Complementing research on the effect of patience on individual behavior, we present empirical evidence that patience is an important determinant of long-run income differences between countries. To account for a potential endogeneity bias, we instrument patience by information on how languages...

Monetary policy makers constantly face an inter-temporal choice problem. By gener- ating surprise inflation they can temporarily increase employment and output. These short-run gains have however to be weighed against the long-run costs associated with higher inflation and a loss of reputation....

The following dissertation is a collection of four stand-alone research papers. The common theme of all papers is the analysis of the decision of heterogeneous individuals about investing in education. The first paper analyses how these decisions affect the impact of globalisation or...