Einkommensverteilung in Deutschland
Laut einer OECD-Studie ist die Einkommensungleichheit in Deutschland seit 1990 erheblich stärker gewachsen als in den meisten anderen OECD-Ländern. Die zunehmende Kluft zwischen Arm und Reich geht vor allem auf die Entwicklung der Löhne und Gehälter zurück. Die OECD empfiehlt, dem steuer- und sozialpolitisch entgegenzuwirken, mehr Menschen in existenzsichernde Beschäftigung zu bringen sowie mehr in die Bildung Niedrigqualifizierter zu investieren.
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Literaturhinweis
WSI-Verteilungsbericht 2022: Armut grenzt aus (2022)
Spannagel, Dorothee; Zucco, Aline;Zitatform
Spannagel, Dorothee & Aline Zucco (2022): WSI-Verteilungsbericht 2022: Armut grenzt aus. (WSI-Report 79), Düsseldorf, 23 S.
Abstract
"In Deutschland ist der Anteil der Armen in der letzten Dekade deutlich angestiegen. Vor diesem Hintergrund befasst sich der diesjährige Verteilungsbericht mit dem Thema Einkommensarmut und untersucht, welche Auswirkungen sie auf die gesellschaftliche Teilhabe der Betroffenen hat. Auf Basis des SOEP sowie der HBS-Lebenslagenbefragung zeigt sich, dass Armut in Deutschland die gesellschaftliche Teilhabe deutlich einschränkt. Arme müssen etwa auf Güter des alltäglichen Lebens verzichten, sie leben auf kleinerem Wohnraum oder haben einen schlechteren Gesundheitszustand. Diese verminderte gesellschaftliche Teilhabe führt dazu, dass Arme mit ihrem eigenen Leben unzufriedener sind. Sie haben auch weniger Vertrauen in das Handeln politischer Akteure. Hier geraten die Grundfesten unseres demokratischen Miteinanders ins Wanken - eine Entwicklung, die sich aktuell durch die hohe Inflation in Folge des Ukraine-Kriegs deutlich verschärft hat. Um die Situation der armen Haushalte zu verbessern, aber auch um das Vertrauen in unser demokratisches System zu stärken, bedarf es gezielter politischer Maßnahmen. Dazu gehören insbesondere die Förderung sozialversicherungspflichtiger Beschäftigung und die Anhebung der Regelsätze in der Grundsicherung. Außerdem müssen gesellschaftliche Chancenungleichheiten durch vorausschauend geplanten und sozial gestalteten öffentlichen Wohnungsbau sowie den Abbau von Bildungsungleichheiten verringert werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Einfluss struktureller Veränderungen auf die Einkommensverteilung: IW-Verteilungsreport 2022 (2022)
Zitatform
Stockhausen, Maximilian (2022): Einfluss struktureller Veränderungen auf die Einkommensverteilung. IW-Verteilungsreport 2022. (IW-Report / Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft Köln 2022,63), Köln, 20 S.
Abstract
"Akademisierung, Zuwanderung und demografischer Wandel sind bestimmende Themen unserer Zeit und nehmen Einfluss auf die Einkommensverteilung. Der diesjährige Verteilungsreport legt daher seinen Schwerpunkt auf die Frage, welche Veränderungen der Nettoeinkommensverteilung mit einem durchschnittlich höheren Bildungsniveau, einer erhöhten Nettozuwanderung und einem höheren Anteil älterer Mitbürger an der Gesamtbevölkerung verbunden sind." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Der deutsche Arbeitsmarkt im EU-Vergleich: Niedrige Erwerbslosigkeit, aber hohes Armutsrisiko (2022)
Zitatform
(2022): Der deutsche Arbeitsmarkt im EU-Vergleich: Niedrige Erwerbslosigkeit, aber hohes Armutsrisiko. (Arbeitsmarkt aktuell 2022,02), Berlin, 28 S.
Abstract
"Der deutsche Arbeitsmarkt erscheint aufgrund der niedrigen Erwerbslosigkeit im EU-Vergleich als vorbildhaft. Im Dezember 2021 hatte Deutschland die drittniedrigste, bei jungen Menschen sogar die niedrigste Erwerbslosenquote. Allerdings ist die Erwerbslosigkeit in Deutschland im Krisenjahr 2020 deutlich stärker angestiegen als im EU-Durchschnitt. Eine Ursache ist der starke Verlust im Bereich der Teilzeitbeschäftigung. Diese ist in Deutschland so stark eingebrochen, wie in keinem anderen Land. Der Grund hierfür war der massenhafte Wegfall der Minijobs im Zuge der Pandemie. Ihre Zahl ist 2020 um 600.000 gesunken. Solche unsicheren geringfügigen Arbeitsverhältnisse leistet sich kein anderes EU-Land. Deutschland gehört mit Rumänien, Bulgarien, Estland und Litauen zu den Ländern, die eine unterdurchschnittliche Erwerbslosenquote, dafür aber eine hohe Niedriglohn- und Armutsrisikoquote aufweisen. Die Beispiele zahlreicher anderer Länder zeigen, dass es möglich ist, bei diesen drei wichtigen Faktoren deutlich positivere Ergebnisse zu erzielen. Der hohe Anteil an unsicherer und unterbezahlter Beschäftigung in Deutschland hat negative Folgen: Das Armutsrisiko ist groß, die Ungleichheit bei den Einkommen liegt deutlich über dem EU-Durchschnitt und bei der Überlastung der Haushalte durch hohe Wohnkosten steht Deutschland sogar an zweiter Stelle. Aktuelle Ereignisse wie die Corona-Pandemie oder der Krieg in der Ukraine zeigen, wie schnell auch Wirtschaft und Arbeitsmärkte betroffen sein können. Um solche Herausforderungen zu meistern, ist es sowohl in Deutschland als auch in der gesamten EU hilfreich, einen robusten Arbeitsmarkt zu haben, der gut auf Krisen reagieren kann. Europa möchte und muss durch gemeinsame Zielsetzungen u.a. in der Arbeitsmarkt- und Sozialpolitik stärker zusammenwachsen und sich als eigenständiger Werte- und Wirtschaftsraum weltweit behaupten. Deutschland kann und sollte hierbei eine positive Vorreiterrolle einnehmen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Analyse zur Entgeltstatistik 2021 (2022)
Zitatform
(2022): Analyse zur Entgeltstatistik 2021. (Berichte: Blickpunkt Arbeitsmarkt / Bundesagentur für Arbeit), Nürnberg, 26 S.
Abstract
"• Die Entgeltstatistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit stellt auf Bruttomonatsentgelte von sozialversicherungspflichtig Vollzeitbeschäftigten der Kerngruppe ab. Das sind vollzeitbeschäftigte Personen, die nicht in einem Ausbildungsverhältnis stehen und für die keine (gesetzlichen) Sonderregelungen gelten. • Die Ergebnisse der Entgeltstatistik werden insbesondere in Form des Medians und anderer Verteilungsparameter sowie in Form der Beschäftigung im unteren Entgeltbereich referiert. Das arithmetische Mittel kann hingegen nicht bestimmt werden. • Das (übergreifende) Medianentgelt lag 2021 bei 3.516 Euro, nach 3.427 Euro im Vorjahr und 3.401 Euro im Vorvorjahr. • In den beiden Corona-Jahren 2020 und 2021 fiel der mittlere Anstieg gegenüber dem jeweiligen Vorjahr mit 1,7 Prozent niedriger aus als im langjährigen Mittel mit 2,3 Prozent. • Das bundesweite Medianentgelt von Männern war 2021 weiterhin deutlich höher als das von Frauen (3.649 Euro gegenüber 3.276 Euro). In Ostdeutschland verdienten Frauen im Mittel etwas mehr als Männer (3.060 Euro gegenüber 2.978 Euro). • Große Unterschiede gab es 2021 auch beim Medianentgeltvergleich zwischen Deutschen (3.643 Euro) und Ausländern (2.728 Euro). • Die Spanne bei einer Betrachtung nach Altersgruppen reichte 2021 von 2.610 Euro für unter 25-Jährige bis 3.711 Euro für Ältere ab 55 Jahren. • Einen besonders hohen Einfluss auf den Verdienst haben erwartungsgemäß der berufliche Abschluss der Beschäftigten und das Anforderungsniveau der Tätigkeit. • Auf Ebene der Branchen reichte die Spanne der Medianentgelte 2021 von 5.281 Euro im Bereich Finanz- und Versicherungsdienstleistungen bis 2.025 Euro in der Arbeitnehmerüberlassung, in der niedrig entlohnte Helfertätigkeiten deutlich überrepräsentiert sind. • Differenziert nach Berufen lag das Medianentgelt 2021 bei Informatik- und übrigen IKT-Berufen mit 5.302 Euro am höchsten und bei Reinigungsberufen mit 2.099 Euro am niedrigsten. • Mit einer Beschäftigung in größeren Betrieben und mit längeren Beschäftigungsdauern gehen im Allgemeinen höhere Entgelte einher. • Regional gab es 2021 große Unterschiede beim Medianentgelt. Auf Länderebene reichte die Spanne von 3.962 Euro in Hamburg bis 2.785 Euro in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, auf Ebene der Kreise und kreisfreien Städte von 5.091 Euro in der bayerischen Stadt Erlangen bis 2.507 Euro im sächsischen Landkreis Görlitz. • In Anlehnung an die OECD gelten als Beschäftigte des unteren Entgeltbereichs Personen, die in sozialversicherungspflichtiger Vollzeitbeschäftigung weniger als zwei Drittel des monatlichen Medianentgelts aller sozialversicherungspflichtig Vollzeitbeschäftigten erzielen. 2021 lag der Anteil der Beschäftigten im unteren Entgeltbereich bei 18,1 Prozent. • Im Allgemeinen sind Beschäftigtengruppen mit niedrigem Medianentgelt im unteren Entgeltbereich (deutlich) überrepräsentiert. Bei diesen Beschäftigtengruppen betrug 2021 der Anteil der Beschäftigten im unteren Entgeltbereich (deutlich) mehr als 18,1 Prozent" (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
Weiterführende Informationen
Link zur aktuellen Version, ältere Fassungen online nicht mehr verfügbar. -
Literaturhinweis
Entgeltunterschiede zwischen Westdeutschland und Ostdeutschland sowie Männern und Frauen (2021): Antwort der Bundesregierung auf die Kleine Anfrage der Abgeordneten und der Fraktion der AfD (Drucksache 20/3257) (2022)
Zitatform
(2022): Entgeltunterschiede zwischen Westdeutschland und Ostdeutschland sowie Männern und Frauen (2021). Antwort der Bundesregierung auf die Kleine Anfrage der Abgeordneten und der Fraktion der AfD (Drucksache 20/3257). (Verhandlungen des Deutschen Bundestages. Drucksachen 20/3836 (04.10.2022)), 98 S.
Abstract
Die Kleine Anfrage betrifft die Entgeltunterschiede zwischen West- und Ostdeutschland sowie Männern und Frauen für den Zeitraum 2010-2022 vor dem Hintergrund des von den Fragestellern konstatierten deutlichen Auseinanderfallens der Löhne und der zum Teil erheblichen Unterschiede hinsichtlich des Anforderungsprofils. Als Grundlage für die Beantwortung der Fragen zu Medianentgelten sowie zu Beschäftigten im unteren Entgeltbereich wird das Merkmal 'Entgelt' aus der Beschäftigungsstatistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit herangezogen. Die statistischen Angaben im Längsschnitt sind aufgegliedert nach Geschlecht, nach sozialversicherungspflichtigen Beschäftigten, Vollzeit- und Teilzeitbeschäftigten und ausschließlich geringfügig Beschäftigten in den jeweiligen Anforderungsniveaus Helfer, Fachkraft, Spezialist und Experte. Auch die Angaben zu Differenzen in den Betriebsgrößenklassen, zum Anteil der Niedriglohnbezieher, Städte- und Landkreis- und Bundesländervergleiche dokumentieren Einkommensunterschiede zwischen Männer und Frauen in Ost- und Westdeutschland. (IAB)
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Literaturhinweis
Analyse zur Entgeltstatistik 2020 (2022)
Zitatform
(2022): Analyse zur Entgeltstatistik 2020. (Berichte: Blickpunkt Arbeitsmarkt / Bundesagentur für Arbeit), Nürnberg, 28 S.
Abstract
"Die Entgeltstatistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit stellt auf Bruttomonatsentgelte von sozialversicherungspflichtig Vollzeitbeschäftigten der Kerngruppe ab. Das sind Beschäftigte, die nicht in einem Ausbildungsverhältnis stehen und für die keine (gesetzlichen) Sonderregelungen gelten (Kurzbezeichnung: sozialversicherungspflichtig Vollzeitbeschäftigte der Kerngruppe). Die Ergebnisse der Entgeltstatistik werden insbesondere in Form des Medians (und anderer Verteilungsparameter) sowie in Form der Beschäftigung im unteren Entgeltbereich referiert. Das arithmetische Mittel kann hingegen nicht bestimmt werden. Das (übergreifende) Medianentgelt lag 2020 bei 3.427 Euro. Coronabedingt fiel der Anstieg gegenüber dem Vorjahr mit 0,8 Prozent (26 Euro) niedriger aus als im langjährigen Mittel mit 2,3 Prozent. In manchen Branchen hat der Corona-Effekt zu einem Rückgang des Medianentgelts im Vorjahresvergleich geführt, zum Beispiel im Gastgewerbe (-79 Euro oder -3,9 Prozent). Das Medianentgelt von Männern war 2020 weiterhin deutlich höher als das von Frauen (3.565 Euro gegenüber 3.171 Euro). Große Unterschiede gab es 2020 auch beim Medianentgeltvergleich zwischen Deutschen (3.541 Euro) und Ausländern (2.638 Euro). Die Spanne bei einer Betrachtung nach Altersgruppen reichte 2020 von 2.524 Euro für unter 25-Jährige bis 3.625 Euro für Ältere ab 55 Jahren. Einen besonders hohen Einfluss auf den Verdienst haben erwartungsgemäß der berufliche Abschluss der Beschäftigten und das Anforderungsniveau der Tätigkeit. Auf Ebene der Branchen reichte die Spanne der Medianentgelte 2020 von 5.160 Euro im Bereich Banken, Finanzen, Versicherungen bis 1.890 Euro in der Arbeitnehmerüberlassung, in der sehr niedrig entlohnte Helfertätigkeiten deutlich überrepräsentiert sind. Differenziert nach Berufen lag das Medianentgelt 2020 im Bereich der Informatik- und übrigen IKT-Berufe mit 5.187 Euro am höchsten und in den Reinigungsberufen sowie den Tourismus-, Hotel- und Gaststättenberufen mit jeweils 2.014 Euro am niedrigsten. Mit einer Beschäftigung in größeren Betrieben und mit längeren Beschäftigungsdauern gehen im Allgemeinen höhere Entgelte einher. Regional gab es große Unterschiede beim Medianentgelt 2020. Auf Länderebene reichte die Spanne von 3.863 Euro in Hamburg bis 2.676 Euro in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, auf Ebene der Kreise und kreisfreien Städte von 5.067 Euro in der niedersächsischen Stadt Wolfsburg bis 2.407 Euro im sächsischen Erzgebirgskreis. In Anlehnung an die OECD gelten als Beschäftigte des unteren Entgeltbereichs Personen, die in sozialversicherungspflichtiger Vollzeitbeschäftigung weniger als 2/3 des monatlichen Medianentgelts aller sozialversicherungspflichtig Vollzeitbeschäftigten erzielen. 2020 lag der Anteil der Beschäftigten im unteren Entgeltbereich bei 18,7 Prozent. Im Allgemeinen sind Beschäftigtengruppen mit niedrigem Medianentgelt im unteren Entgeltbereich (deutlich) überrepräsentiert. D.h. bei diesen Beschäftigtengruppen betrug 2020 der Anteil der Beschäftigten im unteren Entgeltbereich (deutlich) mehr als 18,7 Prozent" (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
Weiterführende Informationen
Link zur aktuellen Version, ältere Fassungen online nicht mehr verfügbar. -
Literaturhinweis
Entgeltunterschiede zwischen Deutschen und Ausländern - Entgelt- und Beschäftigungsstatistik 2021: Antwort der Bundesregierung auf die Kleine Anfrage der Abgeordneten und der Fraktion der AfD (Drucksache 20/3276) (2022)
Zitatform
(2022): Entgeltunterschiede zwischen Deutschen und Ausländern - Entgelt- und Beschäftigungsstatistik 2021. Antwort der Bundesregierung auf die Kleine Anfrage der Abgeordneten und der Fraktion der AfD (Drucksache 20/3276). (Verhandlungen des Deutschen Bundestages. Drucksachen 20/3834 (04.10.2022)), 38 S.
Abstract
In der Vorbemerkung der Fragesteller wird auf den kontinuierlichen Anstieg des Entgeltunterschieds (Median) zwischen deutschen und ausländischen Beschäftigten in den letzten Jahren verwiesen. Wurde im Jahr 2010 ein Entgeltunterschied von 317 Euro festgestellt, waren es im Jahr 2020 bereits 903 Euro; besonders deutlich ist der Entgeltunterschied nach Auffassung der Fragesteller bei ausländischen Beschäftigten aus den Top-8-Asylherkunftsländern ausgeprägt. Die erfragten Daten betreffen die Entwicklung in den Jahren 2010 bis 2021 und die Anzahl sowie den Anteil der sozialversicherungspflichtigen Beschäftigten, Vollzeitbeschäftigten, Teilzeitbeschäftigten, ausschließlich geringfügig Beschäftigten, erwerbsfähigen Leistungsberechtigten sowie Regelleistungsberechtigten, die, wo möglich, nach Staatsangehörigkeit - Deutsche, Ausländer, EU-Ausländer, EU-Osterweiterung (EU 11), Westbalkan, Osteuropa, Top-8-Asylherkunftsländer -, und nach den Anforderungsniveaus Helfer, Fachkraft, Spezialist, Experte sowie nach Ost- und Westdeutschland, nach Geschlecht und nach Altersgruppen ausgewiesen werden. (IAB)
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Literaturhinweis
Understanding inequality within households (2021)
Almås, Ingvild; Ringdal, Charlotte; Hoem Sjursen, Ingrid;Zitatform
Almås, Ingvild, Charlotte Ringdal & Ingrid Hoem Sjursen (2021): Understanding inequality within households. (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 961), Essen, 31 S.
Abstract
"To describe and understand the economic inequality in a given society, it is necessary to understand intra-household inequality. House- holds can hide important inequalities, but can also be essential units for redistribution in society. This paper gives an overview of within- household distributions in different settings, both between the adults and also between adults and children. It documents that there are substantial inequalities within households in some contexts and that these often, but not always, disfavor women and children. The paper also discusses the importance of intra-household allocations for poverty and inequality measurement. Methods that assign each household member a per-adult share of household consumption leads to underestimation of inequalities and miss-classification of poverty. In comparison, structural models seem to do better in predicting individual poverty when disaggregated data on allocation within households are not available. Main determinants of power in household decision-making are also discussed, and relatedly, so are two important policy questions: Are targeted transfers to women good for female empowerment? And, are targeted transfers to mothers good for child outcomes? The empirical evidence is clearly pointing to targeting being beneficial for female empowerment, but the evidence is less clear when it comes to child outcomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Grunderbe und Vermögensteuern können die Vermögensungleichheit verringern (2021)
Bach, Stefan;Zitatform
Bach, Stefan (2021): Grunderbe und Vermögensteuern können die Vermögensungleichheit verringern. In: DIW-Wochenbericht, Jg. 88, H. 50, S. 807-815. DOI:10.18723/diw_wb:2021-50-1
Abstract
"In Deutschland sind die Vermögen sehr ungleich verteilt. Um die hohe Ungleichheit langfristig zu reduzieren, könnte die neue Bundesregierung das Wohneigentum, die ergänzende Altersvorsorge und sonstiges Vorsorgesparen stärker fördern. Deutlich schneller und effektiver könnte ein Grunderbe die Vermögensungleichheit senken. In diesem Bericht wird ein Grunderbe von bis zu 20000 Euro simuliert, das an alle Menschen mit Vollendung des 18. Lebensjahrs gezahlt würde. Finanziert werden könnten diese Programme, die ein jährliches Aufkommen von rund 22,6 Milliarden Euro erfordern, durch eine erhöhte Erbschaftsteuer, durch eine Vermögensteuer auf hohe Vermögen und durch effektivere Steuern auf Immobilienvermögen. Das Grunderbe, das vor allem die Vermögen der unteren und mittleren Schichten erhöht, und die gleichzeitige Besteuerung großer Vermögen würden die Vermögensungleichheit in Deutschland deutlich reduzieren. Der Gini-Koeffizient sänke um fünf bis sieben Prozent, wie Simulationsrechnungen zeigen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Ungleichheit in Deutschland - Politikmaßnahmen zur Trendumkehr (2021)
Zitatform
Bach, Stefan, Markus M. Grabka & Marc C. Adam (2021): Ungleichheit in Deutschland - Politikmaßnahmen zur Trendumkehr. (Working paper / Forum for a New Economy 2021,5), Berlin, 98 S.
Abstract
"We review income and wealth inequality in Germany and its trends. We hierarchize its drivers and derive possible options for policy makers. A focus should be placed on reforming the labour market, reforming the tax and transfer system and taxing capital income or wealth to target the underlying inequality, which contributes significantly to the increase in inequality of net household incomes. Targeting wealth inequality should follow a double-sided strategy by promoting private wealth accumulation and redistribution through taxation of high income and wealth. Relevant options include a reform of the inheritance tax, the extra revenue could be used to finance a universal capital endowment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Why a Labour Market Boom Does Not Necessarily Bring Down Inequality: Putting Together Germany's Inequality Puzzle (2021)
Zitatform
Biewen, Martin & Miriam Sturm (2021): Why a Labour Market Boom Does Not Necessarily Bring Down Inequality. Putting Together Germany's Inequality Puzzle. (IZA discussion paper 14357), Bonn, 32 S.
Abstract
"After an economically tough start into the new millennium, Germany experienced an unprecedented employment boom after 2005 only stopped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Persistently high levels of inequality despite a booming labour market and drastically falling unemployment rates constituted a puzzle, suggesting either that the German job miracle mainly benefitted individuals in the mid- or high-income range or that other developments offset the effects of the drastically improved labour market conditions. The present paper solves this puzzle by breaking down the observed changes in the distribution of disposable incomes between 2005/06 and 2015/16 into the contributions of eight different factors, one of them being the employment boom. Our results suggest that, while the latter did have an equalising impact, it was partially offset by the disequalising impact of other factors and substantially dampened by the tax and transfer system. Our results point to a strong role of the German tax and transfer system as a distributional stabilizer implying that, if the COVID-19 shock were to persistently reverse all the employment gains that occurred during the boom, this would only have a moderately disequalising effect on the distribution of net incomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Corona führte zwar bisher nicht zu gestiegener Einkommensungleichheit - für eine Entwarnung ist es dennoch zu früh (Serie "Corona-Krise: Folgen für den Arbeitsmarkt") (2021)
Zitatform
Bruckmeier, Kerstin, Bernd Fitzenberger & Jürgen Wiemers (2021): Corona führte zwar bisher nicht zu gestiegener Einkommensungleichheit - für eine Entwarnung ist es dennoch zu früh (Serie "Corona-Krise: Folgen für den Arbeitsmarkt"). In: IAB-Forum H. 07.10.2021 Nürnberg, o. Sz., 2021-10-05.
Abstract
"Viele Erwerbstätige haben durch die Corona-Krise Einkommensrückgänge erlebt. Die bisher vorliegenden Forschungsergebnisse zeigen, dass die Einkommensungleichheit in Deutschland bislang nicht gestiegen ist. Dies muss allerdings keineswegs so bleiben." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
The Fall in Income Inequality during COVID-19 in Five European Countries (2021)
Zitatform
Clark, Andrew, Conchita D'Ambrosio & Anthony Lepinteur (2021): The Fall in Income Inequality during COVID-19 in Five European Countries. (HAL open science), Paris, 39 S.
Abstract
"We here use panel data from the COME-HERE survey to track income inequality during COVID-19 in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden. Relative inequality in equivalent household disposable income among individuals changed in a hump-shaped way over 2020. An initial rise from January to May was more than reversed by September. Absolute inequality also fell over this period. As such, policy responses may have been of more benefit for the poorer than for the richer." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The fall in income inequality during COVID-19 in four European countries (2021)
Zitatform
Clark, Andrew E., Conchita D'Ambrosio & Anthony Lepinteur (2021): The fall in income inequality during COVID-19 in four European countries. In: Journal of Economic Inequality, Jg. 19, H. 3, S. 489-507. DOI:10.1007/s10888-021-09499-2
Abstract
"We here use panel data from the COME-HERE survey to track income inequality during COVID-19 in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Relative inequality in equivalent household disposable income among individuals changed in a hump-shaped way between January 2020 and January 2021, with an initial rise from January to May 2020 being more than reversed by September 2020. Absolute inequality also fell over this period. Due to the pandemic some households lost more than others, and government compensation schemes were targeted towards the poorest, implying that on average income differences decreased. Generalized Lorenz domination reveals that these distributive changes reduced welfare in Italy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
Weiterführende Informationen
Korrektur zum Artikel -
Literaturhinweis
Trade, Human Capital, and Income Risk (2021)
Zitatform
Deng, Liuchun, Pravin Krishna, Mine Zeynep Senses & Jens Stegmaier (2021): Trade, Human Capital, and Income Risk. (NBER working paper 29612), Cambridge, Mass, 40 S. DOI:10.3386/w29612
Abstract
"In this paper, we empirically assess the causal links between trade and individual income risk and study the role that human capital plays in this relationship using a rich, worker-level, longitudinal data set from Germany spanning 1976 to 2012. Our estimates suggest substantial heterogeneity in labor income risk across workers in different entry cohorts and across workers with different levels of industry- and occupation-specific human capital. Our findings suggest that within-industry changes in imports and exports are causally related to income risk: Imports increase risk and exports decrease risk, and they do so in an economically significant manner. Importantly, we find there to be a complex interplay between human capital and the linkage between trade and risk: While, on average, individuals with higher levels of industry- or occupation-specific human capital experience lower income risk, a given increase in net-imports exposure in an industry increases risk for workers with higher levels of industry tenure more than it does for workers with lower levels of industry tenure. High levels of industry-specific human capital can be costly for workers in highly trade-exposed industries. By contrast, we find no evidence of any interaction between risk, industry trade exposure, and occupation-specific human capital." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
Ähnliche Treffer
auch erschienen (möglw. abweichend) als: IZA discussion paper -
Literaturhinweis
Trade, Human Capital, and Income Risk (2021)
Zitatform
Deng, Liuchun, Pravin Krishna, Mine Zeynep Senses & Jens Stegmaier (2021): Trade, Human Capital, and Income Risk. (IZA discussion paper 14953), Bonn, 40 S.
Abstract
"In this paper, we empirically assess the causal links between trade and individual income risk and study the role that human capital plays in this relationship using a rich, worker-level, longitudinal data set from Germany spanning 1976 to 2012. Our estimates suggest substantial heterogeneity in labor income risk across workers in different entry cohorts and across workers with different levels of industry- and occupation-specific human capital. Our findings suggest that within-industry changes in imports and exports are causally related to income risk: Imports increase risk and exports decrease risk, and they do so in an economically significant manner. Importantly, we find there to be a complex interplay between human capital and the linkage between trade and risk: While, on average, individuals with higher levels of industry- or occupation-specific human capital experience lower income risk, a given increase in net-imports exposure in an industry increases risk for workers with higher levels of industry tenure more than it does for workers with lower levels of industry tenure. High levels of industry-specific human capital can be costly for workers in highly trade-exposed industries. By contrast, we find no evidence of any interaction between risk, industry trade exposure, and occupation-specific human capital." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
Ähnliche Treffer
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Literaturhinweis
The Persistent Pay Gap between Easterners and Westerners in Germany: A Quarter-century after Reunification (2021)
Zitatform
Dickey, Heather & Alessa M. Widmaier (2021): The Persistent Pay Gap between Easterners and Westerners in Germany: A Quarter-century after Reunification. In: Papers in Regional Science, Jg. 100, H. 3, S. 605-631. DOI:10.1111/pirs.12594
Abstract
"A quarter of a century after Germany’s reunification, Eastern Germans still earn substantially less than Western Germans. This paper revisits the German wage differential and isolates the effect of differing returns to human capital endowments, the possibility of a location effect, and human capital depreciation on the regional wage gap. While the endowment effect, location effect, and human capital depreciation jointly account for the wage differential between Easterners and Westerners living in the West, the same does not hold true for individuals settled in the East, where part of the wage gap remains unexplained." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Einkommenssteigerung durchs Studium als wichtiges Maß (2021)
Dilger, Alexander;Zitatform
Dilger, Alexander (2021): Einkommenssteigerung durchs Studium als wichtiges Maß. (Discussion Papers of the Institute for Organisational Economics 2021,9), Münster, 13 S.
Abstract
"Die akademische Qualität der Lehre lässt sich nur schwer messen. Dagegen ist es relativ einfach, die späteren Einkommenszuwächse durch ein Studium zu bestimmen. Das ist für private wie staatliche Allokationsentscheidungen wichtig, etwa ob jemand aus finanziellen Gründen studieren soll, was und wo, während gegebene staatliche Mittel für Studienplätze effizient eingesetzt und zusätzliche Mittel gerechtfertigt werden können, wenn sie mehr bringen als kosten." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Three Essays in Labor Economics (2021)
Eckrote-Nordland, Marissa Dae; Berg, Peter ; Hamman, Mary; Ruhm, Christopher; Piszczek, Matthew M. ; Hochfellner, Daniela;Zitatform
Eckrote-Nordland, Marissa Dae (2021): Three Essays in Labor Economics. Michigan, 86 S. DOI:10.25335/ks2e-de95
Abstract
"This dissertation is comprised of three chapters analyzing how establishments react to increases in pensionable age. Chapter 1: Understanding the Impact of Postponed Retirements on the Hiring Decisions of Firms The solvency of public pension systems in countries with pay-as-you-go pension schemes have led many of these countries to adopt changes in the age of eligibility for full-benefits. One such country is Germany who implemented a change in their pensionable age in a major reform enacted in 1992. There have been multiple studies that have looked at the effectiveness of this reform in terms of older workers delaying their retirements. However, less is known about how firms have reacted to these changes and if these changes in policy have caused firms to change their hiring behavior. Using administrative linked employer-employee data I exploit pre-policy variation in worker age distributions to serve as a source of identification for studying how employers reacted in-terms-of hiring behavior. I find that firms that had a higher share of older workers, and thus were impacted more by the change in pensionable age, decreased their hiring. For a one percentage-point increase in the share of workers who are predicted to have retired under the old pension system the share of workers that are new hires decreases by 0.324 percentage points. This is a 2.16% decrease at the mean. When smaller age bins are studied, I find that this negative impact is found for those aged under 25 and those age 25-34. In contrast there is a positive impact on individuals age 45-54, 55-64, and over 65. When looking at contract types there is an over 7% decrease in the hires of trainees and an over 10% increase in the hires of workers on partial retirement contracts. Chapter 2: Effect of Postponed Retirements on Wage Growth of Younger Workers (with Peter Berg, Mary Hamman, Daniela Hochfellner, Matthew M. Piszczek and Christopher Ruhm) This paper uses linked-employer-employee data to examine the effects of postponed retirements on the wage progression of younger workers within establishments. A German pension reform is the source of identification. We find no evidence of slower wage growth. Instead we find faster wage growth, especially among workers aged 41 to 57. We cannot rule out separations as a mechanism, but patterns in estimates by age and tenure are not consistent with layoffs. Instead, we find evidence of less frequent promotions and we interpret the wage findings as consistent with compensating wage differentials for postponed promotions Chapter 3: Pension Reforms and their Implications for Establishment Downsizing (with Peter Berg, Mary Hamman, Daniela Hochfellner, Matthew M. Piszczek and Christopher Ruhm) While the empirical literature on the effects of pension reform on workers is broad, less is known about the impact on employers. Yet reforms that create incentives to postpone retirement may have extensive effects on employer labor demand and labor costs, especially in settings where there are strict legal protections against age discrimination in employment. Although public pension system reforms generally are structured to treat all workers within the same birth cohort similarly, the impact on employers may vary substantially due to differences in the age composition of their employees. Using this variation as a source of identification, we examine whether the differential impact of pension reform leads to differences in the incidence of workforce downsizing, a sign of possible financial distress. To ensure estimates are not biased due to attrition, we also model associations between the impact of pension reform and establishment closures and find no association. Results for downsizing consistently show establishments with a higher share of older workers are more likely to experience downsizing. When we segment workers within establishments by age, the absolute changes in downsizing probabilities are highest for younger workers. Preliminary results indicate works councils may increase the risk of downsizing for older workers and protect employment for young and prime workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The impact of labour market institutions on income inequality: evidence from OECD countries (2021)
Zitatform
Fortuna, Natércia & António Neto (2021): The impact of labour market institutions on income inequality: evidence from OECD countries. In: Applied Economics Letters, Jg. 28, H. 13, S. 1110-1113. DOI:10.1080/13504851.2020.1803474
Abstract
"Using data from 35 OECD countries for the 1993–2017 period, this paper shows that stronger Labour Market Institutions (LMI), such as trade unions and bargaining coverage, contribute to a decrease in income inequality measured by the Gini coefficient. Additionally, there seems to be a positive interaction effect between unions and bargaining coverage. The marginal impact of trade unions (bargaining coverage) is enhanced by the presence of high levels of bargaining coverage (trade unions). Notwithstanding, this impact seems to be higher for bargaining coverage. On average, an increase in unions’ density (bargaining coverage) by 1% leads to an estimated decrease in inequality by 0.30% (0.35%), ceteris paribus." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Same educational level, same wage returns? An analysis over time and across occupations in Germany (2021)
Zitatform
Friedrich, Anett & Sandra Hirtz (2021): Same educational level, same wage returns? An analysis over time and across occupations in Germany. In: Journal of education and work, Jg. 34, H. 5-6, S. 632-648. DOI:10.1080/13639080.2021.1965967
Abstract
"Analysing wage differentials due to educational investments within occupations can explain the persistent wage inequality in western industrialised countries, such as Germany. This article contributes to the discussion by examining occupation-specific variance in wage returns for men working full-time in Western Germany between 1976 and 2010. We distinguish between three groups: employees with a vocational education and training (VET) degree with an Abitur (a certificate allowing entrance into a German university), with a VET degree but no Abitur, or with a university degree. First, we theoretically argue why wage returns vary within educational levels across occupations. Second, on the assumption that wage return variance will be greater at higher educational levels, we investigate wage return variance patterns for VET and university graduates over time. Estimating a two-stage multilevel model using the Sample of Integrated Labour Market Biographies (SIAB), we show that holding an Abitur increases wage return variance across occupations. Moreover, we find a significantly higher occupation-specific variance in wage returns to education for university graduates than for VET graduates. For the period under examination, we reveal a fluctuating variance in wage returns for VET graduates and a slightly decreasing variance for university graduates." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Income-dependent equivalence scales: A fresh look at German micro-data (2021)
Zitatform
Garbuszus, Jan Marvin, Notburga Ott, Sebastian Pehle & Martin Werding (2021): Income-dependent equivalence scales: A fresh look at German micro-data. In: Journal of Economic Inequality, Jg. 19, H. 4, S. 855-873. DOI:10.1007/s10888-021-09494-7
Abstract
"Income inequality and poverty risks receive a lot of attention in public debates and current research. To make income comparable across different types of households, applying the “(modified) OECD scale” – an equivalence scale with fixed weights for each household type – has become a quasi-standard in research. Instead, we derive a base-dependent equivalence scale allowing for scale weights that vary with income, building on micro-data from Germany. Our results suggest that appropriate equivalence scales are much steeper at the lower end of the income distribution than they are for higher income levels. We illustrate our findings by applying them to data on family income differentiated by household types. It turns out that using income-dependent equivalence scales matters for applied research on income inequality, especially if one is concerned with the composition, not just the size of the population at poverty risk." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Skill premiums and the supply of young workers in Germany (2021)
Zitatform
Glitz, Albrecht & Daniel Wissmann (2021): Skill premiums and the supply of young workers in Germany. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 72. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2021.102034
Abstract
"In this paper, we study the development and underlying drivers of skill premiums in Germany between 1980 and 2008. We show that the significant increase in the medium-to-low skill premium since the late 1980s was almost exclusively concentrated among workers aged 30 or below. Using a nested CES production function framework which allows for imperfect substitutability between young and old workers, we show that changes in relative labor supplies can explain these patterns very well. A cohort-level analysis reveals that distinct secular changes in the educational attainment of the native population are the primary source of the declining relative supply of medium-skilled workers in Germany. Low-skilled immigration, in contrast, only plays a secondary role in explaining the rising lower-end wage inequality in Germany over recent decades." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2021 Elsevier) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Wealth accumulation and retirement preparedness in cross-national perspective: A gendered analysis of outcomes among single adults (2021)
Zitatform
Gornick, Janet C. & Eva Sierminska (2021): Wealth accumulation and retirement preparedness in cross-national perspective: A gendered analysis of outcomes among single adults. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 31, H. 5, S. 549-564. DOI:10.1177/09589287211056174
Abstract
"Wealth is an increasingly important dimension of economic well-being and is attracting rising attention in discussions of social inequality. In this article, we compare – within and across countries – wealth outcomes, and link those to both employment-related factors and policy solutions that have the potential to improve wealth creation and retirement security for women. By constructing country-specific portraits of wealth outcomes and ‘retirement preparedness’, we reveal extensive cross-national variation in multiple facets of wealth. Our regression analysis finds a statistically significant and positive effect of work experience on wealth, with that effect, in general, increasing over time. The effect of work experience for single women is greater than for single men, suggesting that, among men, other, stronger forces are at work in creating wealth. The retirement preparedness outcomes indicate that single women in all three countries are in a precarious position at retirement, with much lower expected annual wealth levels than single men. The second preparedness indicator, which links expected annual wealth to income, demonstrates that men have the potential to cover larger shares of their income at retirement – and thus are more able, than their female counterparts, to maintain standards of living achieved earlier in life. Our policy discussion indicates that employment remains a viable option for ultimately bolstering women’s wealth accumulation. Many scholars, gender equality advocates and policymakers have argued for raising women’s employment rates – for a multitude of reasons – but few, if any, have made the case for strengthening women’s employment in order to ultimately bolster women’s wealth building. We hope to help reduce the gap in the literature on policy supports for women’s employment and re-open the discussion on how women can create more wealth." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Ungleichheit der Haushaltsnettoeinkommen — Trends, Treiber, Politikmaßnahmen (2021)
Zitatform
Grabka, Markus M. (2021): Ungleichheit der Haushaltsnettoeinkommen — Trends, Treiber, Politikmaßnahmen. In: Wirtschaftsdienst, Jg. 101, H. 7, S. 508-515. DOI:10.1007/s10273-021-2957-7
Abstract
"Die hier beschriebenen Politikfelder fokussieren auf eine Reduktion der Ungleichheit der Haushaltsnettoeinkommen. Dabei sollte nicht außer Acht gelassen werden, dass auf der Konsumseite die unterschiedliche Wirkung von Verbrauchssteuern und hier insbesondere die Mehrwertsteuer von Relevanz ist, da untere Einkommensgruppen einen höheren Teil ihres Einkommens für Konsum ausgeben als obere. Darüber hinaus sollten auch nicht-monetäre Einkommenskomponenten in den Blick genommen werden, da von öffentlich bereitgestellten Gütern wie dem Bildungssystem, Gesundheitssystem, aber auch öffentlichen Gütern wie Schwimmbäder, Musikschulen, etc. untere und mittlere Einkommensgruppen überproportional profitieren können. Denn letztlich hängt die individuelle Wohlfahrtsposition nicht allein von der Höhe des Haushaltsnettoeinkommens ab." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag)
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Literaturhinweis
Einkommensungleichheit stagniert langfristig, sinkt aber während der Corona-Pandemie leicht (2021)
Zitatform
Grabka, Markus M. (2021): Einkommensungleichheit stagniert langfristig, sinkt aber während der Corona-Pandemie leicht. In: DIW-Wochenbericht, Jg. 88, H. 18, S. 307-316. DOI:10.18723/diw_wb:2021-18-1
Abstract
"Sowohl Löhne als auch bedarfsgewichtete Haushaltseinkommen sind im Zeitraum 2013 bis 2018 real um gut zehn Prozent gestiegen. Hiervon profitierten alle Einkommensgruppen. Die Ungleichheit der Löhne ist seit mehreren Jahren rückläufig und liegt wieder auf dem Niveau wie zu Beginn der 2000er Jahre. Parallel dazu ist der Niedriglohnsektor um zwei Prozentpunkte geschrumpft. Anders verhält es sich bei den Haushaltseinkommen, bei denen sich die Ungleichheit seit vielen Jahren kaum verändert hat. Auch die Niedrigeinkommensquote stagniert. Allerdings ist der Anteil der Personen, die von essentiellem Mangel (materieller Deprivation) betroffen sind, auf ein im europäischen Vergleich niedriges Niveau gesunken. Seit Ausbruch der Covid-19-Pandemie hat die Einkommensungleichheit in Deutschland leicht abgenommen, was vor allem an den rückläufigen Einkommen bei den Selbstständigen liegen dürfte. Die Pandemie birgt aber die Gefahr, dass durch eine steigende Zahl von Insolvenzen und Arbeitslosen die Einkommen in der Breite wieder sinken. Die Politik sollte die Hilfen an Selbstständige und Unternehmen nicht zu früh einstellen und deren Zielgenauigkeit nachjustieren." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Essays in Quantitative Macroeconomics: Income, Inequality, Income Risk and Optimal Redistribution (2021)
Grübener, Philipp ; Bacher, Annika; Nord, Lukas; Rozsypal, Filip; Ferriere, Axelle; Sachs, Dominik ; Navarro, Gaston; Vardishvili, Oliko;Zitatform
Grübener, Philipp (2021): Essays in Quantitative Macroeconomics: Income, Inequality, Income Risk and Optimal Redistribution. Florenz, 191 S.
Abstract
"This thesis contains four independent essays in heterogeneous agent macroeconomics. They explore the sources of income inequality and income risk and study the optimal design of public redistribution and insurance. The first chapter, joint with Filip Rozsypal, studies the origins of idiosyncratic earnings risk in frictional labor markets, with a particular focus on the role of firms for worker earnings risk. First, using administrative matched employer-employee data from Denmark, we document key properties of the worker earnings growth distribution, the firm revenue growth distribution, and their joint distribution. The worker earnings and firm revenue growth distributions exhibit strong deviations from normality, in particular excess kurtosis, with many workers and firms experiencing very small changes to their earnings/revenues, but a significant minority experiencing very large changes. Large earnings losses are more likely for workers in firms with negative revenue growth, driven both by separations to unemployment and earnings losses on the job. Second, we develop a model framework consistent with the data, with four key features: i) frictional labor markets and on the job search to capture unemployment risk and wage growth through a job ladder, ii) multi-worker firms to capture gross and net worker flows, iii) risk averse workers such that earnings risk matters, and iv) contracting with two-sided limited commitment because earnings of job stayers are changing infrequently in the data. Third, we use the model to explore policies designed to mitigate earnings fluctuations. The second chapter, joint with Annika Bacher and Lukas Nord, studies one particular private insurance margin against individual income risk only available to couples, which is the so called added worker effect. Specifically, we study how this intra-household insurance against individual job loss through increased spousal labor market participation varies over the life cycle. We show in U.S. data that the added worker effect is much stronger for young than for old households. A stochastic life cycle model of two-member households with job search in a frictional labor market is capable of replicating this finding. The model suggests that a lower added worker effect for the old is driven primarily by better insurance through asset holdings. Human capital differences between employed young and old contribute to the difference but are quantitatively less important, while differences in job arrival rates play a limited role. In the third chapter, joint with Axelle Ferriere, Gaston Navarro, and Oliko Vardishvili, we study optimal redistribution, taking into account not just the large income and wealth inequality in the data, but also the distribution of income risk that is key in the first two chapters. The U.S. fiscal system redistributes through a rich set of taxes and transfers, the latter accounting for a large part of the income of the poor. Motivated by this, we study the optimal joint design of transfers and income taxes. Within a simple heterogeneous-household framework, we derive analytical results on the optimal relationship between transfers and tax progressivity. Higher transfers are associated with lower optimal income tax progressivity. Redistribution is achieved with generous transfers while efficiency is preserved via a lower progressivity of income taxes. As such, the optimal tax-and-transfer system features larger progressivity of average than of marginal tax rates. We then quantify the optimal tax-and-transfer system in a rich incomplete-market model with realistic distributions of income, wealth, and income risk. The model features a novel flexible functional form for progressive income taxes and means-tested transfers. Relative to the current U.S. fiscal system, the optimal policy consists of more generous means-tested transfers, which phase-out at a slower rate. These larger transfers are financed with higher tax rates, but the taxes are not more progressive than the current system. The fourth chapter, joint with Axelle Ferriere and Dominik Sachs, also studies optimal redistribution, but instead of considering a stationary environment it analyzes the dynamics of the equity-efficiency trade-off along the growth path. To do so, we incorporate the optimal income taxation problem into a state-of-the-art multi-sector structural change general equilibrium model with non-homothetic preferences. We identify two key opposing forces. First, long-run productivity growth allows households to shift their consumption expenditures away from necessities. This implies a reduction in the dispersion of marginal utilities, and therefore calls for a welfare state that declines along the growth path. Yet, economic growth is also systematically associated with an increase in the skill premium, which raises inequality and the desire to redistribute. We quantitatively analyze these opposing forces for two countries: the U.S. from 1950 to 2010, and China from 1989 to 2009. Optimal redistribution decreases at early stages of development, as the role of non-homotheticities prevails. At later stages of development the rising income inequality dominates and the welfare state should become more generous." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Long-term determinants of income inequality: evidence from panel data over 1870–2016 (2021)
Zitatform
Hailemariam, Abebe, Tutsirai Sakutukwa & Ratbek Dzhumashev (2021): Long-term determinants of income inequality: evidence from panel data over 1870–2016. In: Empirical economics, Jg. 61, H. 4, S. 1935-1958. DOI:10.1007/s00181-020-01956-7
Abstract
"We investigate the major factors which drive income inequality in the OECD countries, using long panel data which span the period from 1870 to 2016. We consider two measures of inequality: the Gini coefficient and the income share of the top 10% of the population. Employing the panel vector auto-regression method, we show that a positive shock to the real interest rate and government spending is negatively and significantly associated with income inequality in the middle, as well as at the top end of the income distribution. An increase in real GDP per capita leads to an increase in income inequality, measured by the Gini coefficient, whereas an advance in financial development reduces it. We find that income inequality responds negatively to positive innovation shocks initially, but this effect becomes positive with some time lag for top-income inequality. Educational attainment significantly reduces top-income inequality. Our results are robust to alternative specifications, including the local projection method and estimations based on different samples. We also capture the time dynamics in our series using a time-varying nonparametric panel data model and show that the real interest rate and financial development are negatively associated with income inequality for most of the period in the post-World War II era, while the effect of real GDP per capita is positive and significant over the same period." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Inequality and Unemployment in Germany: Perception and Reality (2021)
Zitatform
Hüther, Michael & Judith Niehues (2021): Inequality and Unemployment in Germany: Perception and Reality. In: Journal of contextual economics, Jg. 141, H. 1/2, S. 25-45. DOI:10.3790/schm.141.1-2.25
Abstract
"Data for the time before the corona pandemic reveal a largely positive picture of the economic and social development in Germany. Most individuals perceived their own situation as very positive, but their views on society are rather pessimistic and overly critical. Contrasting abstract redistributive preferences with prevailing norms of justice reveals further inconsistencies. Thus, it is increasingly unlikely that policymakers can adequately address the concerns and wishes of the population. The pronounced discrepancy between empirical findings on distributional aspects and citizens' perceptions constitutes a veritable problem for democratic processes. That is because this discrepancy is the basis for mistrust between citizens (principals) and politics (agents). Therefore, it becomes increasingly important that politicians explain the logic of their actions in an understandable way. An important prerequisite for more communicable politics is a comprehensive infrastructure for research data that enables politicians, the media, and the public to make valid assessments." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The nexus between perceptions of inequality and preferences for redistribution (2021)
Zitatform
Iacono, Roberto & Marco Ranaldi (2021): The nexus between perceptions of inequality and preferences for redistribution. In: Journal of Economic Inequality, Jg. 19, H. 1, S. 97-114. DOI:10.1007/s10888-020-09470-7
Abstract
"This paper shows that perceptions of inequality are a key factor in the formation of preferences for redistribution and thereby in the determination of the equilibrium redistribution level. We build on the novel stylized facts provided by the survey experimental literature on perceptions of income inequality, highlighting that agents incorrectly estimate the shape of the income distribution because of limited information. Agents with income above the mean believe they are poorer than they actually are, and agents with income below the mean believe themselves to be richer. We revisit the standard framework on the political economy of redistribution and extend it in two ways. First, we introduce a more general two-sided inequality aversion. Second, we incorporate perceptions of income inequality, modeled by assuming that agents form expectations on the income level of the richest and the poorest in society. We show analytically that the equilibrium redistribution level is crucially determined by the interplay between the information treatment correcting the bias in perceptions of inequality and fairness considerations specified by the degree of inequality aversion. By doing this, we add (biased) perceptions of inequality to the list of potential factors explaining why, notwithstanding high inequality, an increase in the desire for redistribution has not been observed in many countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Being Poor and Feeling Rich or Vice Versa? The Determinants of Unequal Income Positions in Old Age Across Europe (2021)
Zitatform
Isengard, Bettina & Ronny König (2021): Being Poor and Feeling Rich or Vice Versa? The Determinants of Unequal Income Positions in Old Age Across Europe. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 154, H. 3, S. 767-787. DOI:10.1007/s11205-020-02546-x
Abstract
"Individual prosperity and welfare can be measured using both objective and subjective criteria. Although theory and previous research suggest that these two methods can produce corresponding results, the measurements can also be inconsistent. Against this background, the current paper investigates the relationship between the objective income position of older Europeans (aged 50 + years) and their perception of their financial situation, using the seventh wave of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) conducted in 2017. The main research questions include (1) how is objective income distributed in old age across Europe?, (2) how do elderly Europeans evaluate their income situation subjectively?, (3) is there a discrepancy between the objective prosperity position and their subjective perception observable?, (4) are there country-specific differences that are observable?, and (5) how can such discrepancies be explained?" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Culture, Children and Couple Gender Inequality (2021)
Zitatform
Jessen, Jonas (2021): Culture, Children and Couple Gender Inequality. (DIW-Diskussionspapiere 1957), Berlin, 57 S.
Abstract
"This paper examines how culture impacts within-couple gender inequality. Exploiting the setting of Germany’s division and reunification, I compare child penalties of couples socialised in a more gender-egalitarian culture (East Germany) to those in a gender-traditional culture (West Germany). Using a household panel, I show that the long-run child penalty on the female income share is 26.9 percentage points in West German couples, compared to 15.5 in East German couples. I additionally show that among women in West Germany the arrival of a child leads to a greater increase in housework and a larger share of child care responsibilities than among women in the East. A battery of robustness checks confirms that differences between East and West socialised couples are not driven by current location, economic factors, day care availability or other smooth regional gradients. I add to the main findings by using time-use diary data from the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and reunified Germany, comparing parents with childless couples of similar age. This provides a rare insight into gender inequality in the GDR and allows to compare the effect of children in the GDR to the effects in East and West Germany after reunification. Lastly, I show that attitudes towards maternal employment are more egalitarian among East Germans, but that the arrival of children leads to more traditional attitudes for both East and West Germans. The findings confirm that socialisation has a strong impact on child penalties and thus on gender inequality as a whole." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Worker Beliefs About Outside Options (2021)
Zitatform
Jäger, Simon, Christopher Roth, Nina Roussille & Benjamin Schoefer (2021): Worker Beliefs About Outside Options. (NBER working paper 29623), Cambridge, Mass, 119 S. DOI:10.3386/w29623
Abstract
"Workers wrongly anchor their beliefs about outside options on their current wage. In particular, low-paid workers underestimate wages elsewhere. We document this anchoring bias by eliciting workers' beliefs in a representative survey in Germany and comparing them to measures of actual outside options in linked administrative labor market data. In an equilibrium model, such anchoring can give rise to monopsony and labor market segmentation. In line with the model, misperceptions are particularly pronounced among workers in low-wage firms. If workers had correct beliefs, at least 10% of jobs, concentrated in low-wage firms, would not be viable at current wages." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Bargaining Power and the Labor Share - a Structural Break Approach (2021)
Zitatform
Kraft, Kornelius & Alexander Lammers (2021): Bargaining Power and the Labor Share - a Structural Break Approach. In: Verein für Socialpolitik (Hrsg.) (2021): Climate Economics. Beiträge zur Jahrestagung des Vereins für Socialpolitik 2021.
Abstract
"In this paper we investigate the relevance of bargaining institutions for the decline of the labor share. Several explanations for the decline exist, which consider the relevance of technology, globalization and markups. Neglected so far is the influence of bargaining institutions, in particular with a focus on changes in the outside option. We provide evidence of this issue, using the Hartz IV labor market reform in Germany as an exogenous shock in the wage bargaining of employees, and investigate its impact on the labor share. We begin by developing a theoretical model in which we outline the effect of a decrease in the outside option within a wage bargaining framework. Thereafter, the approach is twofold. Combining the EU KLEMS and Penn World Table databases, we first endogenously identify the Hartz IV reform as a significant structural break in the German labor share. Second, we estimate the effect of the Hartz IV legislation on the aggregated labor share using a synthetic control approach in which we construct a counterfactual Germany doppelganger. Finally, we use rich firm-level panel data compiled by Bureau van Dijk to support our results on the aggregated labor share. We find that the reform decreases the labor share by 1.6 – 2.7 percentage points depending on method and aggregation level. The synthetic control approach furthermore provides evidence that this effect is persistent over time since the reform." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The Wage Effects of Offshoring to the East and West: Evidence from Germany (2021)
Körner, Konstantin;Zitatform
Körner, Konstantin (2021): The Wage Effects of Offshoring to the East and West: Evidence from Germany. (IAB-Discussion Paper 15/2021), Nürnberg, 67 S.
Abstract
"In dieser Arbeit werden die heimischen Lohneffekte von Offshoring untersucht. Dabei wird der Produktionsfaktor Arbeit nach der Komplexität seines Aufgabenspektrums unterschieden und Offshoring je nach Lohnniveau des Ziellandes eingeteilt. Letzteres geschieht am Beispiel Westeuropas für Hochlohnländer und am Beispiel der Visegard-Länder bzw. Osteuropa für Niedriglohnländer. In den Lohnregressionen nach Mincer können so die heterogenen Effekte von Offshoring geschätzt werden. Die dafür notwendigen Daten stammen aus verschiedenen Quellen, wie Input-Output-Tabellen (zu mehreren Ländern), Arbeitsmarktdaten der Bundesagentur für Arbeit sowie Umfragedaten zu den Aufgaben im Job. Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass Offshoring nach Westeuropa zu relativen Lohngewinnen für eher wenig komplexe Jobs in Deutschland führt, während der Lohn komplexer Jobs negativ beeinflusst wird. Offshoring nach Osteuropa hingegen hat genau die entgegengesetzten Lohneffekte. Zudem wird in diesem Kapitel gezeigt, dass Offshoring nach Westeuropa zu einer arbeitsintensiveren Produktion und Offshoring nach Osteuropa zu einer kapitalintensiveren Produktion führt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Are some people more equal than others? Experimental evidence on group identity and income inequality (2021)
Lustenhouwer, Joep; Makarewicz, Tomasz; Proaño Acosta, Christian; Peña, Juan Carlos;Zitatform
Lustenhouwer, Joep, Tomasz Makarewicz, Juan Carlos Peña & Christian Proaño Acosta (2021): Are some people more equal than others? Experimental evidence on group identity and income inequality. (BERG working paper series 168), Bamberg, 66 S.
Abstract
"We investigate the effects of group identity and income inequality on social preferences and polarization by means of a laboratory experiment. We split our subjects into two populations: in-group (representing "natives") and out-group ("migrants"). In-group subjects repeatedly vote whether an unemployment insurance should cover all, some, or no members of their group. By means of a two-by-two design we disentangle the effect of group identity from those of income inequality. Among others, our experiment yields the following findings: (1) subjects tend to vote for less inclusive insurance schemes when they sample a higher chance of employment; however, (2) in-group subjects with an ex ante more beneficial distribution of employment chances - relative to the out-group - are less selfish and vote for more inclusive insurance schemes; (3) ex ante more beneficial relative employment chances of in-group subjects also leads to less polarization; and (4) revelation and priming of group identity does not lead to discrimination against out-group "migrants" but, on the contrary, can lead to more compassionate and inclusive attitudes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Wealth Inequality in the Long Run: A Schumpeterian Growth Perspective (2021)
Zitatform
Madsen, Jakob B., Antonio Minniti & Francesco Venturini (2021): Wealth Inequality in the Long Run: A Schumpeterian Growth Perspective. In: The Economic Journal, Jg. 131, H. 633, S. 476-497. DOI:10.1093/ej/ueaa082
Abstract
"This paper extends the analysis of the wealth–income ratio based on the neoclassical model in a Schumpeterian growth framework in which savings are channelled to both tangible and intangible capital investment. Using historical data for 21 OECD countries over the period 1860–2015, we find that the wealth–income ratio and, hence, wealth inequality, is negatively related to the rate of economic growth and positively related to the rates of investment in intangible and tangible assets, as predicted by the theory. Accounting for the innovation-induced counteracting growth effect on the wealth–income ratio, we show that the net effect of investment in intangibles on wealth inequality is positive. Our estimates suggest that intangibles have been a contributing factor in wealth inequality since 1860 and that the marked increase in the investment in intangible assets in the post–WWII period has been a significant driver of wealth inequality since the 1970s." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Time, Income and Subjective Well-Being - 20 Years of Interdependent Multidimensional Polarization in Germany (2021)
Merz, Joachim; Scherg, Bettina;Zitatform
Merz, Joachim & Bettina Scherg (2021): Time, Income and Subjective Well-Being - 20 Years of Interdependent Multidimensional Polarization in Germany. (IZA discussion paper 14870), Bonn, 40 S.
Abstract
"Society drifts apart in many dimensions. Economists focus on income of the poor and rich and the distribution of income but a broader spectrum of dimensions is required to draw the picture of multiple facets of individual life. In our study of multidimensional polarization we extend the income dimension by time, a pre-requisite and fundamental resource of any individual activity. In particular, we consider genuine personal time as a pronounced source of social participation in the sense of social inclusion/exclusion and Amartya Sen's capability approach. With an interdependence approach to multidimensional polarization we allow compensation between time and income, parameters of a CES-type subjective well-being function, where a possible substitution is evaluated empirically by the German population instead of arbitrarily chosen. Beyond subjective well-being indices we propose and apply a new intensity/gap measure to multidimensional polarization, the mean minimum polarization gap 2DGAP. This polarization intensity measure provides transparency with regard to each single attribute, which is important for targeted policies, while at the same time their interdependent relations is respected. The empirical investigation of interdependent multidimensional polarization incidence and intensity uses the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) and detailed time use diary data from the three German Time Use Surveys (GTUS) 1991/92, 2001/02 and the actual 2012/13. We focus on the working individuals where the working poor requires increasing interest in the economic and social political discussion. The microeconometric two-stage selectivity corrected estimation of interdependent multidimensional risk (incidence) and intensity quantifies socio-economic factors behind. Four striking results appear: First, genuine personal leisure time additional to income is a significant subjective well-being and polarization dimension. Second, its interdependence, its compensation/substitution, ev" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The paradox of inequality: income inequality and belief in meritocracy go hand in hand (2021)
Mijs, Jonathan J. B.;Zitatform
Mijs, Jonathan J. B. (2021): The paradox of inequality: income inequality and belief in meritocracy go hand in hand. In: Socio-economic review, Jg. 19, H. 1, S. 7-35. DOI:10.1093/ser/mwy051
Abstract
"Inequality is on the rise: gains have been concentrated with a small elite, while most have seen their fortunes stagnate or fall. Despite what scholars and journalists consider a worrying trend, there is no evidence of growing popular concern about inequality. In fact, research suggests that citizens in unequal societies are less concerned than those in more egalitarian societies. How to make sense of this paradox? I argue that citizens’ consent to inequality is explained by their growing conviction that societal success is reflective of a meritocratic process. Drawing on 25 years of International Social Survey Program data, I show that rising inequality is legitimated by the popular belief that the income gap is meritocratically deserved: the more unequal a society, the more likely its citizens are to explain success in meritocratic terms, and the less important they deem nonmeritocratic factors such as a person’s family wealth and connections." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
DINK(Y)s und HIKOs: Welche Haushalte gehören zur Einkommensspitze (2021)
Zitatform
Niehues, Judith & Maximilian Stockhausen (2021): DINK(Y)s und HIKOs: Welche Haushalte gehören zur Einkommensspitze. (IW-Kurzberichte / Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft Köln 2021,96), Köln, 5 S.
Abstract
"Paarhaushalte ohne Kinder sind im oberen Einkommensbereich am häufigsten vertreten. Unter Ihnen verfügen DINK(Y)s - Double Income, No Kids (Yet) - also Haushalte, die nie Kinder hatten oder noch keine Kinder haben, im Durchschnitt über das höchste Nettoeinkommen. Unter den einkommensstärksten 10 Prozent sind sie überrepräsentiert. Noch häufiger sind jedoch HIKOs im oberen Einkommensbereich vertreten: Das sind Paare mit hohen Einkommen, deren Kinder nicht (mehr) im elterlichen Haushalt leben - High Income, Kids Out. Dies gilt insbesondere für das Top-1-Prozent der Einkommensverteilung." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Inequality revisited: An international comparison with a special focus on the case of Germany (2021)
Zitatform
Niehues, Judith & Maximilian Stockhausen (2021): Inequality revisited: An international comparison with a special focus on the case of Germany. (IW-Report / Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft Köln 2021,18), Köln, 50 S.
Abstract
"While global extreme poverty and global income inequality have decreased over the last decades before the Corona pandemic, inequality within many industrialized countries has increased. In Germany, net income inequality has increased after the German reunification, but since 2005 there has merely been no change in the distribution of net incomes. A similar picture can be drawn for the development of net wealth, which is generally more unequally distributed than net income. Since the end of the financial crisis, the level of net wealth inequality hast remained almost unchanged. In the last decade, both income and wealth have remarkably increased on average across all income and wealth groups. This development was accompanied by a rising share of labour income reaching levels of the 1990s again. Unfortunately, the Corona pandemic has put a temporary end to the positive income development, and it is not clear so far, what the long-run consequences of the Corona pandemic will be. In the short-run, it is especially a threat to the very poor in developing countries and it is a large challenge in the fight against global extreme poverty." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Social Inequalities - Empirical Focus (2021)
Zitatform
Otte, Gunnar, Mara Boehle & Katharina Kunißen (2021): Social Inequalities - Empirical Focus. In: B. Hollstein, R. Greshoff, U. Schimank & A. Weiß (Hrsg.) (2021): Soziologie - Sociology in the German-Speaking World, S. 361-380. DOI:10.1515/9783110627275-025
Abstract
"Social inequalities constitute one of the largest research fields of sociology in the German-speaking countries. This field has been successfully institutionalized and internationalized in recent decades. Today, it rests on a rich data infrastructure and a large body of cumulative research. The article traces this advancement in terms of shifting theoretical paradigms, methodological innovations, and the establishment of the current data infrastructure. It particularly highlights recent developments in four core areas of inequality research: educational inequality and returns on education; employment and the labor market; income, wealth, and poverty; and social mobility." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Pathways toward Inclusive Income Growth: A Comparative Decomposition of National Growth Profiles (2021)
Zitatform
Parolin, Zachary J. & Janet C. Gornick (2021): Pathways toward Inclusive Income Growth: A Comparative Decomposition of National Growth Profiles. In: American sociological review, Jg. 86, H. 6, S. 1131-1163. DOI:10.1177/00031224211054808
Abstract
"Despite rising interest in income inequality, scholars remain divided over the mechanisms underlying inclusive income growth and how these mechanisms vary across countries. This study introduces the concept of national growth profiles, that is, the additive contribution of changes in taxes, transfers, composition, and other factors including market institutions to changes across a country’s income distribution. We present a decomposition framework to measure national growth profiles for eight high-income countries from the 1980s to 2010s. Our findings adjudicate competing sociological and economic perspectives on rising inequality. First, we find that policy-driven changes in taxes and transfers are the dominant drivers of inclusive growth at the tails of the income distributions. Second, rising educational attainment contributes most to income growth across the distribution, but consistently contributes to less-inclusive growth. When changes in education are considered, changes in assortative mating and single parenthood have little consequence for changes in inequality. Third, changes to other factors including market institutions increased inequality in countries such as the United States, but less so in France and Germany. Had the United States matched the changes to Dutch tax policy, Danish transfer policy, or other factors of most other countries, it could have achieved more inclusive income growth than observed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Earnings Dynamics in Germany (2021)
Pessoa, Ana Sofia;Zitatform
Pessoa, Ana Sofia (2021): Earnings Dynamics in Germany. (CESifo working paper 9117), München, 49 S.
Abstract
"This paper documents earnings dynamics over the life-cycle and income level using a large administrative database from German tax records. I find that labor earnings display important deviations from the typical assumptions of linearity and normality. For the bottom earners, large income changes are driven equally by hours and wages which is consistent with transitions between labor status or jobs, whereas for those at the top, earnings changes are mainly induced by wage rate growth. There are also asymmetries in mean reversion of earnings growth mainly driven by the asymmetric hours dynamics. Finally, there is no evidence of an added-worker effect but government insurance and income pooling can mitigate the pass-through of individual earnings changes to the household level and attenuate the deviations from normality of the male earnings growth distribution." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Effect of privatisation on income inequality: a European analysis (2021)
Zitatform
Peña-Miguel, Noemí & Beatriz Cuadrado-Ballesteros (2021): Effect of privatisation on income inequality: a European analysis. In: Empirica, Jg. 48, H. 3, S. 697-716. DOI:10.1007/s10663-020-09484-4
Abstract
"This study analyses the link between privatisation reforms and income inequality on a sample of 25 European countries between 2003 and 2013. Previous literature has related privatisations with the level of poverty, welfare, and well-being of population, but findings regarding income inequality are scarce, especially in the European context. The empirical results of this study suggest a positive link between both topics, for different indicators of privatisation and inequality. Concretely, findings suggest that income inequality is higher in countries that have resorted to privatisation reforms to a greater extent. Then, social consequences should be considered when evaluating regulatory reform, such as privatisation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Minimum Wages in Concentrated Labor Markets (2021)
Zitatform
Popp, Martin (2021): Minimum Wages in Concentrated Labor Markets. (BGPE discussion paper 214), Nürnberg, 100 S.
Abstract
"Economists increasingly refer to monopsony power to reconcile the absence of negative employment effects of minimum wages with theory. However, systematic evidence for the monopsony argument is scarce. In this paper, I perform a comprehensive test of monopsony theory by using labor market concentration as a proxy for monopsony power. Labor market concentration turns out substantial in Germany. Absent wage floors, a 10 percent increase in labor market concentration makes firms reduce wages by 0.5 percent and employment by 1.6 percent, reflecting monopsonistic exploitation. In line with perfect competition, sectoral minimum wages lead to negative employment effects in slightly concentrated labor markets. This effect weakens with increasing concentration and, ultimately, becomes positive in highly concentrated or monopsonistic markets. Overall, the results lend empirical support to the monopsony argument, implying that conventional minimum wage effects on employment conceal heterogeneity across market forms." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Geographic Inequality in Income and Mortality in Germany* (2021)
Zitatform
Redler, Peter, Amelie Wuppermann, Joachim Winter, Hannes Schwandt & Janet Currie (2021): Geographic Inequality in Income and Mortality in Germany*. In: Fiscal Studies, Jg. 42, H. 1, S. 147-170. DOI:10.1111/1475-5890.12259
Abstract
"We use data from the German Federal Statistical Office on population counts, births, deaths and income to study the development of socio-economic inequality in mortality rates from 1990 to 2015 for different age groups and both genders. Ranking the 401 German districts by average disposable income per capita, we observe large inequalities in district-level mortality rates in 1990, which had almost disappeared, or at least been flattened considerably, by 2015 particularly for infants, children and the very old. The most important driver of this reduction in inequality is German reunification in 1990. As indicated by more detailed analyses comparing districts in the former East and the former West, even five years after reunification there was a large gap in disposable income, with all Eastern districts considerably poorer than the poorest district in the West. At the same time, mortality rates were higher for all age groups and both genders in the East. Income has caught up, to the extent that there are equally poor districts in the East and West in most recent years (although the West is still much richer on average). Mortality rates in the East have improved considerably and are even below mortality rates for similarly poor districts in the West in the most recent data." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Do social investment policies reduce income inequality? An analysis of industrial countries (2021)
Zitatform
Sakamoto, Takayuki (2021): Do social investment policies reduce income inequality? An analysis of industrial countries. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 31, H. 4, S. 440-456. DOI:10.1177/09589287211018146
Abstract
"Scholars and policymakers who call for social investment (SI) policies hope that SI policies reduce income inequality and poverty, among other policy goals. Meanwhile, some others point out potentially less pro-poor effects of SI policies. There are relatively few cross-national studies that empirically examine the distributional effects of SI policies. The current study seeks to fill the gap by investigating the effects of SI policies on income inequality in OECD countries. The empirical analysis finds mixed results. Parental leave benefits reduce market income inequality, but other family support policies do not lessen inequality, and family allowances and paid leave (the length of generous leave) even increase it. The effects of some family policies are partly context-specific. In contexts where there are a large number of single-mother households, parental leave benefits reduce market income inequality. There is no stable evidence that education and active labour market policy (ALMP) reduce market income inequality. Education and ALMP, however, reduce disposable income inequality (even after controlling for left governments and Nordic countries). The article suggests that in countries with high education and/or ALMP spending, the skills of workers towards the lower end of the income distribution may be relatively high (even though their pre-tax and transfer income may be low), and it may make their income salvageable with redistributive policies. In this sense, SI policies and conventional redistributive policies may be complementary in reducing disposable income inequality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Categorical Distinctions and Claims-Making: Opportunity, Agency, and Returns from Wage Negotiations (2021)
Zitatform
Sauer, Carsten, Peter Valet, Safi Shams & Donald Tomaskovic-Devey (2021): Categorical Distinctions and Claims-Making. Opportunity, Agency, and Returns from Wage Negotiations. In: American sociological review, Jg. 86, H. 5, S. 934-959. DOI:10.1177/00031224211038507
Abstract
"In this article, we examine wage negotiations as a specific instance of claims-making, predicting that the capacity to make a claim is first a function of the position, rather than the person, and that lower-status actors—women, migrants, fixed-term, part-time, and unskilled workers—are all more likely to be in positions where negotiation is not possible. At the same time, subordinate-status actors may be less likely to make claims even where negotiation is possible, and when they do make wage claims they may receive lower or no returns to negotiation. Analyses of wage negotiations by more than 2,400 German employees largely confirm these theoretical expectations, although the patterns of opportunity, agency, and economic returns vary by categorical status. All low-status actors are more likely to be in jobs where negotiation is not possible. Women, people in lower-class jobs, and people with temporary contracts are less likely to negotiate even when given the opportunity. Regarding returns, agency in wage claims does not seem to improve the wages of women, migrants, or working-class individuals. The advice to “lean-in” will not substantially lower wage inequalities for everyone, although men who lean in do benefit relative to men who do not." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
A social-psychological reconstruction of Amartya Sen's measures of inequality and social welfare (2021)
Zitatform
Stark, Oded & Wiktor Budzinski (2021): A social-psychological reconstruction of Amartya Sen's measures of inequality and social welfare. In: Kyklos, Jg. 74, H. 4, S. 552-566. DOI:10.1111/kykl.12280
Abstract
"The Gini coefficient features prominently in Amartya Sen’s 1973 and 1997 seminal work on income inequality and social welfare. We construct the Gini coefficient from social-psychological building blocks, reformulating it as a ratio between a measure of social stress and aggregate income. We determine when as a consequence of an income gain by an individual, an increase in the social stress measure dominates a concurrent increase in the aggregate income, such that the magnitude of the Gini coefficient increases. By integrating our approach to the construction of the Gini coefficient with Sen’s social welfare function, we are able to endow the function with a social-psychological underpinning, showing that this function, too, is a composite of a measure of social stress and aggregate income. We reveal a dual role played by aggregate income as a booster of social welfare in Sen’s social welfare function. Quite surprisingly, we find that a marginal increase of income for any individual, regardless of the position of the individual in the hierarchy of incomes, improves welfare as measured by Sen’s social welfare function." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))