We analyze the relationship between wage distribution, degree of redistribution of the Social Security and effective retirement age. We develop a two-staged political economy model. In the first stage government chooses the redistribution level of the Social Security Program, according to three...

This article examines whether social comparisons have behavioral effects on workers' performance when a firm can choose workers' wages or let them choose their own. Firms can delegate the wage decision to neither, one or both workers in the firm. We vary the information workers receive, finding...

This article examines the potential risks on consumption behavior of lumpsum payments. As a pension, lump-sum payments could be consumed too fast and generate an increase of poverty rates. We experimentally investigate consumption behavior in an inter-temporal decision-making setting. Subjects...

Anhand von groß angelegten Umfragen in vier europäischen Ländern untersuchen wir die Determinanten von Fehlwahrnehmungen bei politischen Themen, die insbesondere bei links- und rechtspopulistischen Parteien typischerweise hoch auf der Agenda stehen. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Menschen...

Being overweight or obese is associated with lower employment and earnings, possibly arising from employer discrimination. A few studies have used field experiments to show that obese job applicants are, in fact, discriminated against in the hiring process. However, whether overweight job...

This paper analyzes the reform of the pensionable age as an answer to the future financing problems of public pension systems. We use a two-staged model where, first, the government decides the redistribution level of the pension system and, secondly, individuals face a voting process on the...

We examine the impact of the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide movement restrictions on socio-economic attitudes in four European countries (France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom). We conducted large-scale surveys while the pandemic rapidly spread before and after...

By conducting large-scale surveys in four European countries, we investigate the determinants of right- and left-wing misperceptions as well as fake news exposure and sharing. We also shed light on how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced both misperceptions and fake news. Our results indicate that...