The computation of cross sectional weights in household panels is challenging because household compositions change over time. Sampling probabilities of new household entrants are generally not known and assigning them zero weight is not satisfying. Two common approaches to cross sectional...

The SOEP Group currently is preparing in addition to increasing the size of the core SOEP, to establish a new Innovation Sample (SOEP-IS). This will be established for the period 2012 to 2017 (with a cumulative number of presumably N=5,000 households). Now, in the year 2012, a new subsample is...

How high is unemployment? How low is labor force participation? Is obesity more prevalent among men? How large are household expenditures? We study the sources of the relevant official statistics --- the Current Population Survey (CPS), the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), and...