In course of the ''Hartz IV'' reform implementation in January 2005, Germany has tightened unemployment benefit sanctions. In addition, the regulations with respect to job offer acceptance have been strengthened radically. As non-compliant behavior is supposed to entail benefit sanctions, we...

In the course of a comprehensive labor market reform started in 2003 and finished through the implementation of the most radical measure Hartz IV in 2005, I exploit its impact on matching processes in Germany. I use disaggregated data for 178 local employment agencies to examine the effects of...