Institut für Höhere Studien - Institute for Advanced Studies
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Reintegrating Older Long-Term Unemployed Workers: The Impact of Temporary Job Guarantees
Full text linkLong-term unemployment among older workers is particularly difficult to overcome. We study the impacts of a large-scale job guarantee program that offered up to two years of fully subsidized employment to long-term unemployed individuals aged 50 and above. Using a sharp age-based discontinuity in eligibility, we find that participation increased regular, unsubsidized employment by 43 percentage points two years after the program ended. The gains are driven by transitions into new firms and industries, rather than continued subsidized employment, and we find no evidence of displacement effects for non-participants or spillovers to family members. The program had no measurable short-run health effects
Higher education dropouts and the labour market. An exploration of parental education effects on early career trajectories in Austria
Full text linkDropping out from higher education is thought to be problematic on an individual, institutional, and societal level. Research on dropouts’ transition into the labour market is scarce and often falls short on incorporating the employment situation prior to leaving education. This study explores the education-employment patterns of individuals before and after dropping out. It applies sequence analysis and cluster analysis to high-quality register data to identify typical labour market trajectories. The results indicate that dropping out is linked to diverging labour market pathways. It can be embedded in long-term employment, be followed by fast labour market entry, or can be a junction in a volatile education-employment biography. Existing research suggests that parental education is a determinant of labour market trajectories. Our findings indicate that dropouts from an academic background do not largely occupy any trajectories in specific. However, they are more likely to be self-employed and less prone to certain risk scenarios
The Effects of Biased Labor Market Expectations on Consumption, Wealth Inequality, and Welfare
No full textMigrantinnen und Migranten sowie Schutzsuchende in der Teilhabebefragung
No full textDie vorliegende Expertise legt Empfehlungen vor, um in der „Repräsentativbefragung zur Teilhabe von Menschen mit Behinderung“ (Teilhabebefragung) die Abdeckung von Migrantinnen und Migranten zu verbessern sowie die systematische Integration der Zielgruppe Schutzsuchende zu ermöglichen. Dazu wurden Literaturrecherchen durchgeführt, Dokumentationen zu den bisherigen Wellen der Teilhabebefragung sowie weiteren Studien und Daten gesichtet. Ergänzend wurden zahlreiche Interviews mit Vertreterinnen und Vertretern der Zielgruppen sowie Expertinnen und Experten für die Themen Migration und Teilhabe sowie Umfrageforschung geführt. Die Befragung dieser beiden Zielgruppen – Migrantinnen und Migranten sowie Schutzsuchende – erfordert eine Reihe von Entscheidungen und Anpassungen im Studiendesign des Teilhabesurveys. Für das Stichprobenverfahren wird eine Erweiterung des Auswahlrahmens sowie des Vorab-Screenings erörtert. In der Feldarbeit müssen Sprachbarrieren abgefedert, eine Vertrauensbasis für die Befragung gefördert und für Gemeinschaftsunterkünfte ein gesonderter Feldzugang organisiert werden. Befragungsinhalte sollen für die Zielgruppen dahingehend adaptiert werden, dass in wesentlichen Lebensbereichen wie Arbeit, Wohnen, Gesundheit, soziale Vernetzung und Diskriminierung teilweise anders geartete Teilhabehürden bestehen als bei Personen mit deutscher Staatsbürgerschaft. Die Expertise skizziert abschließend zwei mögliche Varianten, um die Teilhabebefragung unter Berücksichtigung der Empfehlungen effizient weiterzuentwickeln.
This Expertise introduces recommendations to improve the coverage of migrants and systematically incorporate refugees in the German „Repräsentativbefragung zur Teilhabe von Menschen mit Behinderung” (Teilhabebefragung) [„Representative survey on the participation of people with disabilities” (participation survey)]. For this purpose, scientific literature as well as documentation on previous waves of the participation survey and other relevant studies and data sources were analysed. Additionally, numerous interviews with representatives of these target groups and experts on migration and participation research as well as survey methodology were conducted. Surveying the two target groups – migrants and refugees – requires several decisions and adaption regarding the study design of the participation survey. For sampling, an extension of the sampling frame and the pre-selective screening are discussed. Regarding field work, language barriers need to be addressed, a trustful interview situation has to be established, and special requirements for accessing participants in shared refugee accommodations have to be considered. Survey contents need to be adapted for the target groups, as relevant areas of life such as work, housing, health, social networks and discrimination cause participation hurdles that partly differ from those German citizens encounter. Conclusively, the Expertise outlines two possible options to further develop the participation survey efficiently, considering the recommendations made
Biased expectations and labor market outcomes: Evidence from German survey data and implications for the East-West wage gap
No full textUsing a large and representative panel survey of German households, we document sizable and persistent biases in workers’ expectations regarding job stability and job finding. Workers in East Germany are substantially more pessimistic than workers in West Germany. Motivated by this evidence, we incorporate biased expectations into a frictional labor market model and analytically study their implications for wage bargaining, equilibrium unemployment and vacancies, and welfare. We explicitly model the duration of wage contracts and show that this contract length plays a crucial role in shaping how expectation biases affect wages and equilibrium outcomes. Using a calibrated version of the model, we show that expectation biases at West German levels would increase wages and expected lifetime income in East Germany and lead to a substantial reduction in the East-West German wage gap
ADDICT. Bewertungsansätze für das Risikomanagement suchtfördernder Designs und Praktiken digitaler Plattformen
Full text linkSuchtfördernde Designstrategien („addictive design“) – wie beispielsweise Feeds, die endloses Scrollen ermöglichen („infinite scrolling“), automatische Wiedergabe von Inhalten („autoplay“), Werbeanzeigen oder Push-Benachrichtigungen, die durch künstlich hergestellte Dringlichkeit zum sofortigen Handeln auffordern, können zu zwanghaften und suchtähnlichen Nutzungsmustern führen, die sich negativ auf die Gesundheit, Produktivität und allgemeine Lebensqualität der Nutzer:innen auswirken. Trotz wachsenden Bewusstseins für diese Risiken, die insbesondere Kinder und Jugendliche nachteilig betreffen, sind regulatorische Maßnahmen nach wie vor begrenzt. Ziel des Forschungsprojekts ADDICT ist es, die Geschäftsstrategien der Plattformunternehmen sowie deren Designpraktiken, die gezielt darauf ausgerichtet sind, zwanghaftes Verhalten bei Nutzer:innen zu fördern, in den Vordergrund zu stellen. Die Forschungsfrage lautet: "Wie können Social-Media-Plattformen anhand ihrer Suchtrisiken bewertet und kategorisiert werden?" Untersucht wird diese durch (1) die systematische Ermittlung und Klassifizierung von Risiken im Zusammenhang mit suchtförderndem Design und Vorgängen auf digitalen Plattformen und (2) die Entwicklung einer Risikotaxonomie, die es Behörden ermöglicht, suchtfördernde Designpraktiken und Vorgänge zu bewerten und diesen regulativ entgegenzuwirken. Abschließend werden zwei Fallstudien zu den Plattformen TikTok und Instagram durchgeführt, um zu veranschaulichen, wie diese bei Jugendlichen beliebten Social-Media-Plattformen anhand des Risikograds ihrer suchtfördernden Designelemente systematisch eingeordnet werden können
ADDICT. Addictive Design in Digital Consumer Technologies
Full text linkAddictive design strategies – such as feeds that enable infinite scrolling, autoplay of content, advertisements, or push notifications that prompt immediate action through artificially generated urgency – are associated with compulsive and addiction-like patterns of use. Such patterns can negatively affect users’ health, productivity, and overall quality of life. Despite growing awareness of these risks, which disproportionately affect children and adolescents, regulatory measures remain limited. The aim of the ADDICT research project is to foreground the business strategies of platform companies as well as their design practices that are deliberately oriented toward fostering compulsive user behavior. The research question is: “How can social media platforms be assessed and categorized based on their addictive risks?” This question is addressed through (1) the systematic identification and classification of risks associated with addictive design features and processes on digital platforms, and (2) the development of a risk taxonomy that enables public authorities to assess addiction-promoting design practices and processes and to counteract them through regulatory measures. Finally, two case studies of TikTok and Instagram are conducted to illustrate how social media platforms popular among adolescents can be systematically classified according to the risk posed by their addictive design elements
Obesity and the Labour Market: Employment, Sick leave, and Policy Responses
No full textObesity presents a growing public health and economic challenge in Europe, with rising prevalence projected to significantly impact labour market participation and productivity. Worldwide the direct costs of obesity are reflected in an increased use of healthcare services and an average of 8.4% of total health expenditure in OECD countries. Indirect costs involve increased absenteeism and reduced productivity, lower employment rates due to physical limitations and employer bias, and wage penalties which particularly affect women. Socio-economic disparities linked to obesity are evident in poorer educational outcomes, harmful stereotypes (such as a perceived lack of discipline or professionalism), and disadvantages shaped by neighbourhood environments, urbanization, and health literacy.
To address these issues, policy interventions must be comprehensive. A multimodal approach should consider all drivers of obesity while avoiding a one-size-fits-all model and acknowledging the need for tailored prevention and treatment strategies. A multi-sectoral approach is essential, requiring coordination across different stakeholders. Preventive policy tools include increasing (nutritional) health literacy, opportunities for physical activity, taxes on sugary drinks, restrictions on food and beverage marketing to children, and food labelling. Measures to support individuals with obesity include initiatives such as the EPODE and the HENRY approach, while pharmacological options in connection with lifestyle changes can help reduce long-term healthcare costs. Improving labour market outcomes for individuals with obesity requires better access to treatment, innovations in therapy, anti-discrimination policies, workplace health promotion, public health education, and inclusive policies that support prevention and treatment efforts
Skill gaps between natives and immigrants in Europe: evidence from two cycles of PIAAC survey
Full text linkThe integration of immigrants into host societies is a widely debated issue with significant implications for host societies and economies. Unlocking immigrant human capital potential depends on the successful integration of immigrants and their children into the labor market and the society. The skills gap between immigrants and natives, including differences in qualifications and foundational skills, often hinders integration, limiting immigrants’ opportunities. Using data from the first and second PIAAC cycles, this work examines the skills gap in European countries, focusing on its persistence, reduction or expansion over time and between first- and second-generation immigrants. More specifically, it addresses literacy and numeracy skills as a measure of immigrants’ participation in the host social and economic context. This work explores the impact of factors such as one’s own or parents’ education and language barrier on literacy and numeracy performance, along with their impact on the migrant-native gap itself. It reveals the existence of a gap between immigrants’ and natives’ skills, with an immigrant disadvantage, more pronounced for the first generation and converging towards natives for the second generation. However, these trends vary over time, depending on the domain and country. This work provides useful insights to inform policies aimed at reducing disparities and promoting development in destination and origin countries