Unemployment results in lower levels of cognitive skills and has long-term effects on health and economic well-being. In this paper, I show that unemployment also has negative effects on noncognitive skills, at least in the short term. Using a sample of Germans born between 1945 and 1995, I...

The noncognitive skill of conscientiousness has been linked to favorable labor market and health outcomes. But how is conscientiousness affected by events that happen in childhood? We investigate the effects of negative parental selection and economic and social upheaval on conscientiousness in...

This study investigates the predictive power of self-control for individuals and their children using population representative data. We use the well-established Brief Self-Control Scale to demonstrate that people's trait self-control is highly predictive of their life outcomes. Higher...

Based on panel data on around 5,500 German households, this paper analyzes whether the experience of financial losses due to the Corona pandemic has affected three kinds of personal traits and preferences: the willingness to take risks, patience, and the locus of control. Our empirical results...

Based on panel data on around 5,500 German household heads originating from four years, this paper analyzes whether the experience of financial losses due to the Corona pandemic has affected three kinds of personal traits and preferences: the willingness to take risks, patience, and the locus of...