In an open-shop model of trade union membership with heterogeneity in risk attitudes, a worker's relative risk aversion can affect the decision to join a trade union. Furthermore, a shift in risk attitudes can alter collective bargaining outcomes. Using German panel data (GSOEP) and three novel...

Due to the complexity of employment protection legislation (EPL) in Germany, there is notable uncertainty about the outcomes of dismissal conflicts. In this study we focus on severance pay and inquire whether its incidence and level varies in a systematic manner with the legal rules as defined...

The paper provides information on sample sizes and panel attrition in the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) for the years 1984 – 1999. Furthermore, results of the sequential estimation of non-response probabilities for the different subsamples of the GSOEP are described in detail.

Though the shared investment hypothesis of human capital theory, i.e. that employers and employees share the costs of and the return on investment in firm-specific human capital, is widely accepted, we know little about the empirical evidence. The paper shows that in German data (1984-1991)...

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...

Es wird ein Überblick über das Erhebungsdesign der ersten Welle der SOEP Teilstichproben A (West-Deutsche), B (Ausländer) und C (Ost-Deutsche) gegeben. Weiterhin werden die Weiterverfolgungsregeln des SOEP beschrieben. Die Entwicklung der Fallzahlen wird getrennt für die Teilstichproben im...

Es wird ein Überblick über das Erhebungsdesign der ersten Welle der SOEP Teilstichproben A (West-Deutsche), B (Ausländer) und C (Ost-Deutsche) gegeben. Weiterhin werden die Weiterverfolgungsregeln des SOEP beschrieben. Die Entwicklung der Fallzahlen wird getrennt für die Teilstichproben im...

Does a country's level of unemployment have an impact on the long-run growth rate? Incorporating unemployment into a generalised Solow-type growth model yields some answers. In the traditional Solow model, unemployment has no long-run influence on the growth rate and the level of productivity....