Abstract

This project examines the influence of participation in the Panel Study "Labour Market and Social Security" (PASS) on labor market integration and job retention among recipients of unemployment benefits (ALG II) in Germany. Drawing on the theory of the "Question-Behavior Effect" (QBE) and related phenomena such as the Hawthorne effect, this study investigates whether and how participation in social surveys affects the behavior of respondents. Using a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), two groups will be compared: a treatment group consisting of PASS contact persons and a control group of similar individuals in the same regions who were not contacted. The study assesses the impact of survey participation on the probability of labor market reintegration for the unemployed and on job stability and wage progression for the employed. The project aims to gain insights into the potential behavioral changes triggered by survey participation and to discuss their methodological implications for social science research.