We study the short- to medium-run effects on subsequent fertility of starting a career with a fixed-term contract. We focus on career start since we expect that temporary contracts and their inherent economic uncertainty imply a path dependence that might have spill-over effects on other domains...

This paper reviews the U.S. welfare reform efforts over the 1990s and the effects of these reforms to date. Seven lessonsʺ of potential interest to European observers are discussed, with particular attention to the conclusions of more recent research. Such research indicates, for example, that...

We analyze potential labor supply effects of a shift from the current German system of joint taxation of married couples to a system of limited real income splitting on the basis of an econometric household labor supply model embedded in a tax benefit model. Our simulation results show...

This article presents a survey of how optimal income taxation is influenced by labour market considerations. We begin with the standard supply-side optimal income tax model of Mirrlees, and outline the various extensions to that model. We then consider how optimal taxation is affected by various...

Lone mothers are overrepresented among the poor in many European countries, with detrimental consequences for them and their children. Even in Norway, which is known for its successful economic and welfare development, lone mothers were at least three times more likely to be poor than married...

This article considers a stationary economy populated with overlapping generations that reproduce identically in continuous time. Each dynasty has a productivity and an opportunity cost of going to work that vary with age. Labor supply is extensive. At each date, the typical agent can either...

Using China’s Annual Survey of Industrial Production, we estimate the marginal revenue product of labor (MRPL) for all state-owned and above-scale non-state manufacturing firms for 2001–2004 and 2004–2007. We find that labor productivity varies systematically within industries by ownership...

This study argues that parents have a desire for dividing equally between their children, and that this motive applies to transfers of gifts inter vivos. We suggest that the equal division motive competes with traditional altruism: support to the child or the children with greatest needs. When...

While recent research finds strong evidence that birth order affects children's outcomes such as education and earnings, the evidence on the effects of birth order on IQ is decidedly mixed. This paper uses a large dataset on the population of Norway that allows us to precisely measure birth...

This article argues that the consumption value of education is an important motivation for educational choice. When controlling for ability, we find that individuals are willing to forego substantial future wage returns to acquire a particular type of higher education. We find that high-ability...