"One of the main instruments which was introduced with the 'Hartz-Reforms' was a start-up subsidy called Me Inc. ('Ich-AG'). This instrument was introduced in addition to the Bridging Allowance ('Überbrückungsgeld') which had already been implemented in the 1980s. Between 2003 and 2006 more...

"Socialist societies often emphasized the abolition of traditional social classes. To achieve this objective, educational opportunities were at times 'actively managed' and allocated to children of less educated parents. What happened to these patterns after the demise of socialist rule in...

"Many studies have analysed the effectiveness of single active labour market programmes (ALMPs) for welfare recipients in different countries. As empirical evidence reveals that welfare recipients in Germany often participate in multiple programmes, I evaluate the sequential participation of...

"Since the fall of the iron curtain in 1989, the migration deficit of the Eastern part of Germany has accumulated to 1.8 million people, which is over 10 percent of its initial population. Depending on their human capital endowment, these migrants might either - in the case of low-skilled...

"On January 1st, 1997, minimum wages were introduced in the German main construction sector. We examine the effects of this wage regulation on various aspects of the labour market of this sector, particularly the effects on wages and employment. In East Germany, at the time of its introduction,...

"The introduction of a minimum wage in the care sector in August 2010 was the first time that a minimum wage was introduced in a health sector. Furthermore, in contrast to other industries with minimum wages, the care sector has continually increased in recent years. Our results show that...

"Further vocational training for the unemployed aims at enhancing their job prospects. This paper analyses the effectiveness of such subsidized training programmes for means-tested unemployment benefit recipients in Germany. The empirical findings are based on rich administrative data of the...

"The 'Start-up Scheme' (§ 93, 94 SGB III) was 28 December 2011 fully converted to a discretionary power. Significant cost savings and a reduction of entrainment effects should be implemented by the changes. This paper discusses the results of the quantitative evaluation of the reformed...

Auch 20 Jahre nach dem Fall der Mauer ist das Phänomen der Ost-West-Migration innerhalb Deutschlands nach wie vor von großer Bedeutung. Das Ausmaß sowie die Selektivität dieser Wanderungsbewegungen erreichte dabei ungeahnte Dimensionen. Vor diesem Hintergrund analysiert und beantwortet die...