We introduce the ideas of "drop ceilings", that full-time employees who switch to reduced hours thereafter face an hours ceiling such that a return to full-time employment is difficult, and of "trap-door floors", that full-time employees may be denied the opportunity to reduce their hours and...

Die beschäftigungspolitischen Wirkungen einer Arbeitszeitverkürzung sind in der Fachliteratur intensiv diskutiert worden. Allerdings bleibt die theoretische Frage offen, ob eine Arbeitszeitverkürzung eine Steigerung der mit positiven Externalitäten verbundenen Frauenerwerbsbeteiligung mit...

In the empirical literature on labour supply, several static models are developed to incorporate constraints on working hours. These models do not address to what extent working hours are constrained within jobs, and to what extent working hours can be adjusted by means of changing employer. The...

This paper develops and estimates a search model of the labor market where jobs are characterized by wages and work-hours flexibility. Flexibility is valued by workers, and is costly to provide for employers. The model generates observed wage distributions directly related to the preference for...