One common feature of all empirical wage curve studies is the underlying assumption that the unemployment rate is the natural indicator of labor market tightness. However, we observe that in many European countries governments spend remarkable amounts on labor market training programs. As...

Using 1985-1999 data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (GSOEP) to analyze wages we confirm the hypothesis that existing computer wage premiums are determined by individual ability or other unobserved individual characteristics rather than by productivity effects. While a rather large...

This paper analyses the contribution of capital income to income inequality in a cross-national comparison. Using micro-data from the Cross-National Equivalent File (CNEF) for three prominent panel studies, namely the BHPS for the UK, the SOEP for West Germany, and the PSID for the USA, we use...

The premium rates paid for statutory health insurance in Germany play a key role in the competition among health care funds. With the most recent health care reform (GKV-Wettbewerbsstärkungsgesetz GKV-WSG), a range of new products have been introduced that could erode the advantageous selling...

Die Regelungen zur geringfügigen Beschäftigung haben spezifische Anreizwirkungen auf Arbeitsangebot und Arbeitsnachfrage und bei Reformen der Regelungen ist mit entsprechenden Reaktionen der Arbeitsmarktakteure zu rechnen. Der vorliegende Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit den zu erwartenden...