This paper uses data from the GSOEP to look at the relationship between labor force status and fatherhood among men in East and West Germany. For many years, in particular from the late fifties through the mid-seventies, fertility patterns in the East and West were quite similar. With the...

Recent research has repeatedly demonstrated that well-being typically evinces precipitous deterioration close to the end of life. However, the determinants of individual differences in these terminal declines are not well understood. In this study, we examine the role of perceived personal...

As from a political economy perspective, politicians often fail to implement structural reforms, we investigate if the resistance to reform is based on the differences in the risk preferences of voters, politicians, and bureaucrats. Based on the empirical results of a survey of the population in...

Die Menschen in Deutschland sind heute im Durchschnitt zufriedener als zu jedem anderen Zeitpunkt nach der Wiedervereinigung. In Ostdeutschland liegt das Niveau der Zufriedenheit jedoch auch mehr als 20 Jahre nach der Wiederbereinigung noch unter dem westdeutschen Niveau. Das zeigen die...

Like many medical studies, the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II) is based on a non-random convenience sample of self-recruited participants. To study processes of selectivity in BASE-II, we used an identical questionnaire to compare BASE-II with a large, representative reference study, the German...

In this paper we discuss the rationale for tracing non-original sample members (Non-OSMs) in household panel studies, and in particular in SOEP, and the implications for weighting. We present results on the incidence, survival rates, and thus the relevance of Non-OSMs in the SOEP