This paper measures the causal effect of time out of the labor force on subsequent employment of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) applicants and distinguishes it from the discouragement effect of receiving disability benefits. Using a unique Social Security Administration workload...

This study provides the first nation-wide analysis of the labor market implications of occupational licensing for the U.S. labor market, using data from a specially designed Gallup survey. We find that in 2006, 29 percent of the workforce was required to hold an occupational license from a...

We provide evidence on the value of patents to startups by leveraging the quasi-random assignment of applications to examiners with different propensities to grant patents. Using unique data on all first-time applications filed at the U.S. Patent Office since 2001, we find that startups that win...

Abstract: Während technischer Fortschritt prinzipiell als wohlfahrtserhöhend gilt, ist seine Rolle im Gesundheitswesen weniger eindeutig. Zwar verbessert er Lebensqualität und -erwartung, ist aber auch eine wichtige Ursache steigender Gesundheitsausgaben. Die Arbeit zeigt Wege zu einem...