Does happiness vary with age? The evidence is inconclusive. Some studies show happiness to increase with age (Diener et al. 1999; Argyle 2001). Others hold that the association is U-shaped with either highest depression rates (Mroczek and Christian, 1998; Blanchflower and Oswald, 2008) or highest...

In a long-term prospective cohort study we try to assess selective and protective impacts of early retirement on life expectancy. The results are based on the members of a compulsory German health insurance fund (Gmünder Ersatzkasse). We analyzed 88,399 men and 41,276 women who retired between...

The consequences of population ageing for the public health care system and health care costs may be less severe than is commonly assumed. Hospital discharge data from Germany's largest health insurer (AOK) show that the cost of caring for patients during their last year of life makes up a large...

How happy are first-generation immigrants in Germany today? How do patterns of formal or informal discrimination affect their subjective life satisfaction? What is the effect of material and immaterial resources? What are the relevant standardsfor the evaluation of happiness? And how does the...

Does happiness vary with age? The evidence is inconclusive. Some studies show happiness to increase with age (Diener et al. 1999; Argyle 2001). Others hold that the association is U-shaped with either highest depression rates (Mroczek and Christian, 1998; Blanchflower and Oswald, 2008) or highest...

The budget crisis in Greece is only the latest illustration of the detrimental effects of tax evasion. How can governments increase tax compliance? Based on insights from behavioral economics and happiness research we conduct a laboratory experiment on framing effects on tax compliance....

Families produce health, but changing family structures are also held responsible for negative health outcomes in today’s societies. In this paper we analyse how the health of young children in Germany may change when parents separate. Data from the GSOEP show that children living in...

Die demografische Vergreisung unserer Gesellschaft lenkt das öffentliche Interesse zunehmend auch auf Fragen der Altersversorgung und des Umgangs mit alten Menschen. Hilke Brockmann untersucht die soziale Realität, die sich hinter den statistischen Werten verbirgt. In Quer- und...

Does the gender of immigrants affect the subjective well-being of natives? Our analysis is based on representative data from Germany and Catalonia (Spain). Both regions represent two most-different EU cases in terms of macroeconomic context, political mobilisation, and typology of migrants....