More and more children in Germany attend formal day care. How does family policy influence this attendance? Which effect do particular family policies have and in how far do these effects differ among different family types? This question is dealt with in the first part of this contribution. It...

The debate on a general statutory minimum wage in Germany prevails. Meanwhile, there have been comprehensive evaluations of minimum wages for specific industries. The present paper discusses the empirical studies on the wage and employment effects of the minimum wage in the German construction...

According to current survey results the reconciliation of family and work is still very difficult for a lot of parents. Most parents seek to share gainful employment and family duties more equally. Yet, financial incentives often favor the conventional single- or one and a halfearner model. In a...

All parties represented in the Bundestag now support minimum-wage regulations, yet their positions on its structure and amount differ significantly. The present study shows that a general statutory minimum wage would mainly have to increase the wages of workers in "marginal employment," women,...

From August 2013, every child in Germany who has reached his or her first birthday will have a legal right to a place in a childcare facility or family day care. What effects does this have on the mothers' economic activity and child development? Our findings show that the legal entitlement to...

We apply a structural model of mothers' labor supply and child care choices to evaluate the effects of two childcare reforms in Germany that were introduced simultaneously in August 2013. First, a legal claim to subsidized child care became effective for all children aged one year or older....

A popular argument for a federal minimum wage is that it will prevent in-work poverty and reduce income inequality. We examine this assertion for Germany, a welfare state with a relative generous means-tested social minimum and high marginal tax rates. Our analysis is based on a microsimulation...

In this paper a labor supply model with demand side rationing is estimated to analyze the economic policies that directly affect incentives to work as well as labor costs. The framework is applied to evaluate the employment effects of a federal minimum wage in Germany and the impact of employer-...

In August 2013, two child care reforms have come into effect at the same time: First, a legal claim to formal child care has been introduced for all children aged one year or older. Second, a new benefit called Betreuungsgeld has been introduced that is granted to families who do not use public...