Using a new data set on Swiss state and local governments from 1890 to today, we analyze how the adoption of proportional representation affects fiscal policy. We show that proportional systems shift spending toward broad goods (e.g. education and welfare benefits) but decrease spending on...

Previous studies assume that labor market skills are either fully general or specific to the firm. This paper uses patterns in mobility and wages to analyze how portable specific skills are in the labor market. The empirical analysis combines data on tasks performed in different jobs with a...

This paper studies how portable skill accumulated in the labor market are. Using rich data on tasks performed in occupations, we propose the concept of task-specific human capital to measure the transferability of skills empirically. Our results on occupational mobility and wages show that labor...

Education yields substantial non-monetary benefits, but the size of these gains is still debated. Previous studies, for example, report contradictory effects of education and compulsory schooling on mortality – ranging from zero to large mortality reductions. Using data from 19 compulsory...

There has been a longstanding debate about the link between political representation and health. In this article, I provide novel evidence that electoral reforms that shifted from a majoritarian to a proportional system of voter representation generated substantive health benefits for the...

Wir analysieren die Entwicklung der Lohnstruktur in Ostdeutschland in den letzten zwei Jahrzehnten und vergleichen sie mit Westdeutschland. Beide Regionen verzeichneten zwischen 1995 und 2009 einen Anstieg der Lohnungleichheit, wobei die Lohndispersion in Ostdeutschland, insbesondere an der...

The perceived lack of economic or social integration by immigrants in their host countries is a key concern in the public debate. Research shows that the option to naturalize has considerable economic and social benefits for eligible immigrants, even in countries with a tradition of restrictive...

We study how a negative labor market shock like job loss generates health spillovers in couples. Using administrative data of all workers and firms matched to mortality and patient records, we document that male job displacement increases the mortality risk for both the man and his partner. For...

A sizable literature documents that displaced workers suffer substantial negative consequences in the labor market and health. These effects may extend to the partner or spouse through household decision-making. Using administrative data of all workers and firms matched to mortality and patient...

Christina Gathmann, LISER, Luxemburg, und Universität Heidelberg, und Ole Monscheuer, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, zeigen am Beispiel der Liberalisierung des Staatsangehörigkeitsrechts in Deutschland, dass ein liberaler Zugang zu Staatsbürgerschaft mit kurzen Wartezeiten die ökonomische...