Exploiting future exposure to job termination in the UK, this paper finds that sharply increased job loss expectations before job termination significantly increase mental distress. This anticipation effect is largest in tight labor markets but does not spill over within couples. In contrast,...

Critics protest loudly against restrictions imposed by politicians during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: Mandatory masks, lockdowns, school and business closures. This paper examines (1) the extent to which these policies have indirectly contributed to limiting the number of COVID-19 cases...

We use quarterly panel data from the COME-HERE survey covering five European countries to analyse three facets of the experience of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, in terms of prevalence, loneliness peaked in April 2020, followed by a U-shape pattern in the rest of 2020, and then...

We employ a large social experiment combined with register-based data allowing for up to 12-year follow-up to evaluate a long-lasting employer-sponsored health and well-being program. We show that employees at treated worksites receive fewer consultations from their primary care physician and...

Women appear to take sick leave at a higher rate and for longer periods than men. However, the reasons for these differences are poorly understood. This study starts by outlining several channels (biological, psychological, socio-economic, and occupational) that may drive this gender gap. We...

This paper investigates whether and how the COVID-19 pandemic affects bank funding costs in China. We find a significantly positive relationship between the offering yields of negotiable certificates of deposit and banks’ pandemic exposure. The surge in bank funding costs is alleviated by...

In 1996, statutory sick pay was reduced for private sector workers in Germany. Using the empirical observation that trade union members are dismissed less often than non-members, we construct a model to predict how absence behaviour will respond to the sick pay reform. We show that union members...

Die Leistungen der Pflegeversicherung wurden seit 2017 durch das zweite Pflegestärkungsgesetz ausgeweitet. Weitere Leistungsausweitungen werden diskutiert. Als Beitrag zur Finanzierung wurde ein Finanzausgleich zwischen der privaten und der sozialen Pflegeversicherung vorgeschlagen, um diese zu...

Die Gewährleistung gleichwertiger Lebensverhältnisse in den Teilräumen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland ist neben einer nachhaltigen Raumentwicklung die zentrale Leitvorstellung der Raumordnung. Durch die im September 2018 von der Bundesregierung eingesetzte Kommission „Gleichwertige...

This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of the world's largest environmental tax reform. We compare carbon and air pollutant emissions of the German transport sector and synthetic counterfactuals following the 1999 eco-tax reform, and find average reductions in external damages of around...