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Bilancini, Ennio & Leonardo Boncinelli (2019): Wage inequality, labor income taxes, and the notion of social status. In: Economics. The open-access, open-assessment e-journal, Jg. 13, S. 1-35. DOI:10.5018/economics-ejournal.ja.2019-32

Abstract

"The authors investigate the desirability of income taxes when the objective is to mitigate wasteful conspicuous consumption generated by people's status-seeking behavior. They consider the joint role of pre-tax wage inequality and of social norms determining how social status is assigned. They find that when social status is ordinal (i.e., only one's rank in the income distribution matters) inequality and taxation are substitutes. Instead, when status is cardinal (i.e., also the shape of the income distribution matters) inequality and taxation can be complements, although the relationship is in general non-monotonic. This is because the value of social status is endogenous, potentially giving rise to a perverse selfreinforcing mechanism where more waste in conspicuous consumption induces a greater competition for status and vice versa." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Breznau, Nate & Carola Hommerich (2019): The limits of inequality: Public support for social policy across rich democracies. In: International journal of social welfare, Jg. 28, H. 2, S. 138-151. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12341

Abstract

"Does public opinion react to inequality, and if so, how? The social harms caused by increasing inequality should cause public opinion to ramp up demand for social welfare protections. However, the public may react to inequality differently depending on institutional context. Using ISSP and WID data (1980?2006), we tested these claims. In liberal institutional contexts (mostly English-speaking), increasing income inequality predicted higher support for state provision of social welfare. In coordinated and universalist contexts (mostly of Europe), increasing inequality predicted less support. Historically higher income concentration predicted less public support, providing an account of the large variation in inequality within the respective liberal and coordinated contexts. The results suggest opinions in liberal societies - especially with higher historical inequality - reached the limits of inequality, reacting negatively; whereas in coordinated/universalist societies - especially with lower historical inequality - opinions moved positively, as if desiring more inequality." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Buss, Christopher (2019): Public opinion towards workfare policies in Europe. Polarisation of attitudes in times of austerity? In: International journal of social welfare, Jg. 28, H. 4, S. 431-441. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12368

Abstract

"Increasing wage inequality, strong labour market divides and welfare retrenchment are widely believed to result in more polarised public opinion towards the welfare state. The present study examined if attitudes towards workfare policies have become more polarised in Europe over recent decades. To achieve this aim, the study analysed public opinion data from the European Value Study (EVS) from 23 European countries in the years 1990 - 2008, using multi-level regression analysis. It is found that individuals who are most affected by workfare - the unemployed, the poor and the young - most strongly oppose workfare concepts. Against expectations, there was no evidence of an increasing polarisation of attitudes in Europe. Attitudinal cleavages based on employment status, income and education have remained stable. Differences between age groups have even dissolved because younger cohorts increasingly favour strict workfare policies. The results suggest that warnings of increasing social conflicts and an erosion of solidarity in European societies are exaggerated" (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Collischon, Matthias (2019): Relative Pay, Rank and Happiness: A Comparison Between Genders and Part- and Full-Time Employees. In: Journal of happiness studies, Jg. 20, H. 1, S. 67-80., 2017-11-01. DOI:10.1007/s10902-017-9937-z

Abstract

"This paper investigates the effects of comparison pay on job and life satisfaction with longitudinal survey data from Germany. I use linear fixed effects models to account for unobserved heterogeneity and define the reference groups as individuals within the same occupation and industry. Men and women are expected to behave differently to comparison pay and are therefore investigated separately. Additionally, I investigate full- and part-time employees separately because the effect of relative positions in the reference group should affect life satisfaction for full-time employees only. The findings indicate that both relative pay and the individual rank within the respective reference group affect job and life satisfaction for full-time employed males only, while part-time employed females gain job satisfaction with increasing rank within their reference group. Part-time employees experience no change in their life satisfaction due to changes in either inequality dimension." (Author's abstract, © 2019 Springer Nature ((en))

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Corgnet, Brice, Ludivine Martin, Peguy Ndodjang & Angela Sutan (2019): On the merit of equal pay: Performance manipulation and incentive setting. In: European Economic Review, Jg. 113, H. April, S. 23-45. DOI:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2018.12.006

Abstract

"Work performance is often difficult to assess thus leaving room for manipulation of commonly-used metrics. We created a laboratory workplace in which we can precisely assess both work performance along with manipulation activities. Using two independent experiments we show that, whenever pay for performance is used, manipulation is pervasive leading to both a waste of organizational resources and a weakening of incentives. By contrast, paying organizational members equally effectively deters manipulation attempts leading to higher organizational production." (Author's abstract, © 2019 Elsevier) ((en))

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Gerlach, Gisela I. (2019): Linking justice perceptions, workplace relationship quality and job performance : The differential roles of vertical and horizontal workplace relationships. In: German journal of human resource management, Jg. 33, H. 4, S. 337-362. DOI:10.1177/2397002218824320

Abstract

"Due to decentralization, flat organizational structures and prevalence of team work, employees interact more frequently and intensively within horizontal relationships with coworkers than within vertical relationships with supervisors. The present study contributes to a more complete understanding of antecedents and outcomes of local, interpersonal workplace relationships by simultaneously investigating employee - supervisor and employee - coworker relationships. Drawing on organizational justice theory and social exchange theory as well as data collected from 571 employees at two points in time, this study explores how justice perceptions affect social exchange relationships with supervisors and coworkers, and identifies mechanisms through which these, in turn, enhance employee job performance. Results suggest that informational and interpersonal justice differentially affect the quality of employee - supervisor and employee - coworker relationships, underlining the relevance of considering both supervisors and coworkers as sources of justice. Moreover, the findings indicate that employee - supervisor and employee - coworker relationships contribute to job performance, but through distinct paths. Job satisfaction mediates the link between both social exchange relationships and job performance, while quality of employee - coworker relationships further enhances job performance through employees' motivation to engage in learning and knowledge sharing." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Laenen, Tijs, Federica Rossetti & Wim van Oorschot (2019): Why deservingness theory needs qualitative research. Comparing focus group discussions on social welfare in three welfare regimes. In: International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Jg. 60, H. 3, S. 190-216. DOI:10.1177/0020715219837745

Abstract

"This article argues that the ever-growing research field of welfare deservingness is in need of qualitative research. Using focus group data collected in Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom, we show that citizens discussing matters of social welfare make explicit reference not only to the deservingness criteria of control, reciprocity, and need but also to a number of context-related criteria extending beyond the deservingness framework (e.g. equality/universalism). Furthermore, our findings suggest the existence of an institutional logic to welfare preferences, as the focus group participants to a large extent echoed the normative criteria that are most strongly embedded in the institutional structure of their country's welfare regime. Whereas financial need is the guiding criterion in the 'liberal' United Kingdom, reciprocity is dominant in 'corporatist-conservative' Germany. In 'social-democratic' Denmark, it appears impossible to single out one dominant normative criterion. Instead, the Danish participants seem torn between the criteria of need, reciprocity, and equality/universalism." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Laenen, Tijs & Bart Meuleman (2019): Public support for the social rights and social obligations of the unemployed. Two sides of the same coin? In: International journal of social welfare, Jg. 28, H. 4, S. 454-467. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12369

Abstract

"In light of the ever-growing shift towards activation in European welfare states, the present article examines the relationship between citizens' welfare generosity (i.e., support for social rights) and welfare conditionality (i.e., support for social obligations) with regard to the unemployed. Using data from the 2014 Belgian National Elections Study, we found that generosity and conditionality appear to be two sides of the same coin. The two factors are negatively correlated, and most of their respective attitudinal drivers are quite similar in strength, yet opposite in direction. In addition to self-interest and conventionally recognised ideational beliefs, such as egalitarianism and individualism, beliefs about welfare deservingness - an explanatory factor that has remained understudied in the field - are particularly influential in shaping people's welfare preferences. A stronger emphasis on criteria of deservingness such as control, attitude and reciprocity considerably lowers support for social rights and strengthens support for social duties." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Lee, Soomi, Jacqueline A. Mogle, Chandra L. Jackson & Orfeu M. Buxton (2019): What's not fair about work keeps me up: Perceived unfairness about work impairs sleep through negative work-to-family spillover. In: Social science research, Jg. 81, H. July, S. 23-31. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2019.03.002

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Nelson, Jennifer L., Karen A. Heftvedt, Regine Haardörfer & Jennifer L. Hayward (2019): Trust and respect at work: Justice antecedents and the role of coworker dynamics. In: Work and occupations, Jg. 46, H. 3, S. 307-338. DOI:10.1177/0730888419835261

Abstract

"The authors address three overlooked issues regarding the well-established organizational justice and trust relationship: how an authority's enactment of fair outcomes, procedures, and interactions 'trickles down' to the development of coworker trust; how trust and respect represent distinct interpersonal outcomes; and whether coworker dynamics mediate these relationships. Using original survey data collected at two time points from 354 high school teachers, the authors investigate justice antecedents and the mediating role of coworker dynamics using structural equation modeling. The authors find that the effects of the authority's (i.e., principal's) distributive and procedural justice actions on coworker trust and respect do 'trickle down' and are mediated through coworkers' collective responsibility and work communication. In contrast, principal's interpersonal justice has no effect on coworker dynamics or interpersonal outcomes, but coworker interpersonal justice enhances these outcomes. The results of this study also provide empirical support for the conceptual distinctiveness of trust and respect in the workplace." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pullman, Ashley & Lesley Andres (2019): General and work-based extrinsic educational beliefs across time. From late youth to middle adulthood. In: Journal of youth studies, Jg. 22, H. 3, S. 291-311. DOI:10.1080/13676261.2018.1497782

Abstract

"The degree to which individuals consider education to be a valuable pursuit varies. Beliefs differ regarding the perceived purpose of education and whether it is deemed necessary for future life course and employment success. In this study, we employ a longitudinal data set that follows a cohort of high school graduates over 28 years to examine how different types of extrinsic educational beliefs change from late youth to middle adulthood. Growth curve modelling generates insight into how ascriptive factors in relation to education and employment experiences have an impact on initial beliefs in late youth and how they change over time. General and work-based extrinsic belief statements exhibit both similar and dissimilar patterns of change in terms of ascriptive characteristics and life course experiences. Employment and post-secondary education are influential factors on both types of extrinsic educational beliefs. Women and individuals from highly educated backgrounds express more positive general - but not work-based - extrinsic educational beliefs in late youth. Nevertheless, there is a trend of convergence with men and individuals without highly educated parents over time." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Roex, Karlijn L.A., Tim Huijts & Inge Sieben (2019): Attitudes towards income inequality. 'winners' versus 'losers' of the perceived meritocracy. In: Acta sociologica, Jg. 62, H. 1, S. 47-63. DOI:10.1177/0001699317748340

Abstract

"Individuals with a higher social position are more tolerant of current income inequality than individuals with a lower social position. Besides this, attitudes towards income inequality are influenced by inequality-legitimising myths in a given society. Little is known about how these two factors interact. This study combines these two lines of research and argues that different social strata are more polarised in their attitudes towards inequality in societies with strong prevalent meritocratic perceptions. We expect lower-status individuals (i.e. with a lower income or education) to experience a threat to their group esteem and therefore be less likely to support their society's inequalities in societies with such strong meritocratic perceptions. This hypothesis was tested using data from the International Social Survey Programme 2009 (Social Inequality) on 39 countries. The results show that different social strata are indeed more polarised in their attitudes towards inequality in societies where meritocratic perceptions are more prevalent. Our results are robust for income, but not for education. This suggests that in perceived meritocracies, people regard income as the primary indicator of effort and ability." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Röcke, Anja, Maria Keil & Erika Alleweldt (Hrsg.) (2019): Soziale Ungleichheit der Lebensführung. (Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. Lebensführung im 21. Jahrhundert), Weinheim: Beltz Juventa, 220 S.

Abstract

"In welchem Verhältnis stehen soziale Ungleichheit und Lebensführung? Das ist die übergreifende Frage der Autor_innen, die Phänomene wie Milliardäre in der Weltpolitik, das Refugiumsbürgertum in der DDR oder Formen investiver Statusarbeit innerhalb eines Spannungsfeldes von Selbst- und Fremdbestimmung einerseits und sozialer Strukturiertheit und kulturellem Eigenwert andererseits betrachten." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)
Inhaltsverzeichnis:
Maria Keil, Anja Röcke, Erika Alleweldt: Zur sozialen Ungleichheit der Lebensführung. Einführende und konzeptionelle Überlegungen (7-16);
Michael Makropoulos: "Lebensführung", "steuerloses Treiben" und "außengeleitete Lebensweise" (18-43);
Karin Lohr: Eigensinnige Lebensführung zwischen Fremd- und Selbstführung (44-77);
Steffen Mau, Olaf Groh-Samberg, Uwe Schimank: Investive Statusarbeit. Kontexte von Wachstum und Niedrigwachstum (80-102);
Cornelia Koppetsch: Das postindustrielle Bürgertum und die illiberale Gesellschaft. Zum Einfluss von Ungleichheitsdynamiken auf den Zeitgeist (103-130);
Karl-Siegbert Rehberg: Die verleugnete Klasse. Zur Lebensführung des 'Refugiumsbürgertums' in der DDR und nach der 'Wende' (131-141);
Nicole Burzan, Ronald Hitzler: Mindset Juvenilität'. Hängen individuelle Lebensführung und soziale Ungleichheit zusammen? (142-161);
Peter Hagel: Reichtum und Lebensführung: Wenn sich Milliardäre zur Weltpolitik berufen fühlen (162-186);
Uwe Krähnke: Fremdgeführte Selbstdisziplinierung und der Geist des Staatssozialismus. Zur Sozialpsychologie der Banalität der Stasi' (187-211);
Heinz Bude: Die Lebensführung auf dem Grund der Angst ( 212-218).

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Sage, Daniel (2019): Unemployment, wellbeing and the power of the work ethic. Implications for social policy. In: Critical social policy, Jg. 39, H. 2, S. 205-228. DOI:10.1177/0261018318780910

Abstract

"Unemployment is associated with a range of health and social problems, such as poor physical health and wellbeing. Welfare state research has recently considered how social policies can ameliorate the harmful effects of unemployment. This article argues that such policy suggestions disregard the role of the work ethic in shaping the experience of unemployment. In societies that glorify employment as a signifier of identity and status, it is unsurprising that those without employment suffer. Previous research supports this view, showing how subscription to the work ethic is associated with wellbeing amongst unemployed people. Original analysis of the European Values Study confirms the importance of the work ethic, showing how unemployed people with weaker work ethics have significantly higher life satisfaction than those with stronger work ethics. The article concludes that the most effective way of dealing with the deleterious effects of unemployment is to challenge the centrality of employment in contemporary societies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Uunk, Wilfred & Wim van Oorschot (2019): Going with the Flow? The Effect of Economic Fluctuation on People’s Solidarity with Unemployed People. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 143, H. 3, S. 1129-1146. DOI:10.1007/s11205-018-2023-z

Abstract

"Rising levels of unemployment in European welfare states have revived questions on the social protection of the unemployed and the people’s solidarity with this claimant group. Does people’s solidarity with the unemployed - in terms of the welfare benefits they would grant this Group - decrease when the economy fares ill and unemployment is on the rise, or does solidarity increase as many more people are at risk of losing their jobs? And, do changes in economic conditions and unemployment affect the solidarity of all social groups alike, or are there differences with people’s socio-economic position? In this study, we address these questions using repeated cross-section data from the Netherlands in the period 1975–2010. Our multilevel analyses show that in times of higher unemployment people’s solidarity with the unemployed is higher, while independently from that, in times of economic downturn solidarity is lower. These macro-level effects vary only little across social groups, yet we do find that the unemployment rate affects people’s solidarity more positively during economic good times. This indicates that people’s solidarity with the unemployed depends, among others, on the specific macro-economic constellation of economic welfare and unemployment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Zimmermann, Katharina & Jan-Ocko Heuer (Hrsg.) (2019): "Fördern und Fordern" im Diskurs. Einstellungen in der Bevölkerung zu Hartz IV und aktivierender Arbeitsmarktpolitik. (Soziologie Magazin. Sonderheft 05), Opladen: Budrich, 190 S. DOI:10.3224/8474230001

Abstract

"Wie werden die 'Hartz-Reformen' und die 'Aktivierung' von Arbeitslosen durch 'Fördern und Fordern' in der Bevölkerung aufgenommen? Die Beiträge in diesem Sonderheft behandeln diese Frage mittels einer innovativen Forschungsmethode: Bei dieser als 'Deliberative Foren' bzw. 'Mini-Publics' bezeichneten Methode werden Bürger*innen eingeladen, über ein Thema zu diskutieren und ggf. unter Bereitstellung von Informationsmaterial politische Empfehlungen zu erarbeiten oder Szenarien zu entwickeln. Auf diese Weise können Formierungen und Begründungen von Einstellungen sowie ein möglicher Wandel im Verlauf der Diskussion beobachtet werden. Das Heft schlägt Brücken zwischen Sozialpolitik-, Einstellungs- und Deliberationsforschung." (Verlagsangaben, IAB-Doku)

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Abraham, Martin, Miriam Rottmann & Gesine Stephan (2018): Sanktionen in der Grundsicherung: Was als gerecht empfunden wird. (IAB-Kurzbericht 19/2018), Nürnberg, 8 S.

Abstract

"Wer in Deutschland Arbeitslosengeld II bezieht, muss bestimmte Pflichten erfüllen. Andernfalls kann das Jobcenter die Leistungen teilweise kürzen oder vollständig einstellen. Wie stehen unbeteiligte Dritte zu solchen Sanktionen, was für Kürzungen halten sie für gerecht? Und hängt ihre Bewertung von der jeweiligen Situation und den Merkmalen der Befragten ab? So gelten etwa für Menschen unter 25 Jahren sowie bei wiederholten Sanktionen strengere Regeln. Die Befunde zeigen, dass die Bewertungen zwischen den Szenarien durchaus differieren. Anders als es der Gesetzgeber vorsieht, würden die Befragten junge Menschen nur geringfügig höher sanktionieren als ältere Menschen. Auch würden sie die zweite Sanktion nur leicht höher ansetzen als die erste. Ebenso fällt die Bewertung unterschiedlich aus, je nachdem, wer gefragt wird." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Adriaans, Jule & Stefan Liebig (2018): Ungleiche Einkommensverteilung in Deutschland grundsätzlich akzeptiert aber untere Einkommen werden als ungerecht wahrgenommen. In: DIW-Wochenbericht, Jg. 85, H. 37, S. 801-807. DOI:10.18723/diw_wb:2018-37-1

Abstract

"Einkommensunterschiede stehen in Deutschland immer wieder im Fokus öffentlicher Debatten. Daten von Beschäftigten aus der Langzeitstudie Sozio-oekonomisches Panel (SOEP) und einer separaten Studie (LINOS) zeigen: Dass es Ungleichheiten im Erwerbseinkommen gibt, wird tendenziell als gerecht wahrgenommen; dennoch empfindet ein substantieller Anteil der Befragten die aktuelle Verteilung der Bruttoerwerbseinkommen in Deutschland als ungerecht. Dies trifft vor allem auf die Mitte und das untere Ende der Einkommensverteilung zu: Eine breite Mehrheit der Befragten bewertet die niedrigen und mittleren Erwerbseinkommen insgesamt als zu niedrig. Hohe Einkommen werden dagegen viel seltener als ungerecht empfunden. Die Analyse zeigt, dass wahrgenommene Ungerechtigkeiten im oberen Bereich der Einkommensverteilung mit der Reduktion der eigenen Anstrengungen am Arbeitsplatz einhergehen, empfundene Ungerechtigkeit am unteren Ende der Einkommensverteilung hingegen mit dem Rückzug aus dem demokratischen Meinungsbildungsprozess." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Baird, Sarah, David McKenzie & Berk Özler (2018): The effects of cash transfers on adult labor market outcomes. In: IZA journal of development and migration, Jg. 8, S. 20S. DOI:10.1186/s40176-018-0131-9

Abstract

"The basic economic model of labor supply has a very clear prediction of what we should expect when an adult receives an unexpected cash windfall: they should work less and earn less. This intuition underlies concerns that many types of cash transfers, ranging from government benefits to migrant remittances, will undermine work ethics and make recipients lazy. We discuss a range of additional channels to this simple labor-leisure trade-off that can make this intuition misleading in low- and middle-income countries, including missing markets, price effects from conditions attached to transfers, and dynamic and general equilibrium effects. We use this as a lens through which to examine the evidence on the adult labor market impacts of a wide range of cash transfer programs: government transfers, charitable giving and humanitarian transfers, remittances, cash assistance for job search, cash transfers for business start-up, and bundled interventions. Overall, cash transfers that are made without an explicit employment focus (such as conditional and unconditional cash transfers, and remittances) tend to result in little to no change in adult labor. The main exceptions are transfers to the elderly and to some refugees, who reduce work. In contrast, transfers made for job search assistance or business start-up tend to increase adult labor supply and earnings, with the likely main channels being the alleviation of liquidity and risk constraints." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Becker, Dominik & Klaus Birkelbach (2018): Social mobility and subjective well-being revisited. The importance of individual locus of control. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 54, H. April, S. 1-20. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2018.01.001