The Paper examines real and nominal wage rigidities. We estimate a switching regime model, in which the observed distribution of individual wage changes, computed from West German register data for 1976-97, is generated by simultaneous processes of real, nominal or no wage rigidity, and...

Based on a large employer-employee matched dataset, the Paper investigates the effects of variable enforcement of German dismissal protection legislation on the employment dynamics in small establishments. Specifically, using a difference-in-differences approach, we study the effect of changes...

Deutschland befindet sich in einem harten internationalen Wettbewerb um qualifizierte Arbeitskräfte. Dabei steht der aktuelle Fachkräftemangel nur scheinbar im Gegensatz zu einer anhaltend hohen Arbeitslosigkeit von Geringqualifizierten. Gewichtige demographische Argumente sprechen für eine...

This paper analyzes whether immigrant families facing credit constraints adopt a family investment strategy wherein, upon arrival, an immigrant spouse invests in host country-specific human capital while the other partner works to finance the family's current consumption and the spouse's skills...