The paper addresses the question of whether TV consumption has an impact on material aspirations. We exploit a natural experiment that took place during the period in which Germany was divided. Owing to geographical reasons, TV programs from the Federal Republic of Germany could not be received...

Despite poor regional labour market conditions East Germans exhibit a rather limited willing-ness of leaving their home region. Applying an IV ordered probit approach and using the German Socio Economic Panel (SOEP), we test a local network explanation of lower spatial mobility. Firstly, we find...

Individuals' preferences in transition regions are still shaped by the former communist system. We test this 'Communism legacy' hypothesis by examining the impact of acculturation in a communist regime on social network participation and, as a consequence, on preferences for spatial mobility. We...

Die Abwanderung überwiegend junger, gebildeter Menschen aus Ostdeutschland wird häufig als nachteilig für die Entwicklungsfähigkeit und den Aufholprozess der Neuen Länder betrachtet. Das Phänomen der Zuwanderung - und dabei nicht zuletzt der Rückwanderung vormals Abgewanderter - findet in...