Have labour market reforms at the turn of the millennium changed job durations of the new entrants? A comparative study for Germany and Italy

According to the aims of the labour market reforms of the 90s implemented in many European countries, workers may stay at their first job for a shorter time, but should be able to switch jobs easily. This would generate a trade-off between job opportunities and job stability. This paper addresses this issue using administrative longitudinal data for Germany and Italy, two countries which have undergone changes in regulations that can be summarised under the header of “deregulation”.The estimated piecewise constant job and employment duration models show that changes in the durations of the first job and employment - measured as the sum of multiple consecutive jobs - are observed in periods of labour market reforms. However, the existence of a trade-off is not confirmed by the results. In Germany, men have experienced an increase in employment stability over time, mated with somewhat longer job durations, while women have not benefitted from an increase in employment durations as a compensation for the marked decrease in their first job durations. In Italy, employment stability of the new entrants of both sexes has not improved after the reforms. The reduction in the duration of the first job has not been counterbalanced by an increase in the opportunity to find rapidly another job. These results suggest that the objective of increasing job opportunities by means of labour market deregulation has not been fully achieved.employment duration, work career, tenure, precarious jobs, labour market reforms, mixed proportional hazard

Selektivität beim Zugang in Förderung durch betriebliche Einstellungshilfen (Selectivity in the process of entering wage subsidy programmes)

"A major aim of wage subsidies is to influence the demand for labour in favour of different target groups. In this paper individual determinants of the selection for different kinds of hiring subsidy programmes are examined. In order to analyse whether there are differences in the employment prospects of people entering subsidised employment and people moving from unemployment to employment without the support of a hiring subsidy, potential probabilities of remaining unemployed are simulated. The data base consists of a sample of people who entered subsidised employment in the first months of 1999 and a control sample of people who were registered as unemployed in January 1999. The results of the study can be summarised to the effect that characteristics which point to comparatively good employment prospects also have a positive influence on the access to subsidised employment. This selection of people who tend to have better employment prospects is counteracted by the eligibility rules for the types of subsidies targeting the hard to place." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))Einstellungszuschuss, Eingliederungszuschuss, arbeitsmarktpolitische Maßnahme - Erfolgskontrolle, Beschäftigungshilfe, Strukturanpassungsmaßnahme, Teilnehmerauswahl, Arbeitsmarktchancen, Arbeitslose, berufliche Reintegration, Lohnkostenzuschuss

Have labour market reforms at the turn of the millennium changed job durations of the new entrants? A comparative study for Germany and Italy

According to the aims of the labour market reforms of the 90s implemented in many European countries, workers may stay at their first job for a shorter time, but should be ble to switch jobs easily. This would generate a trade-off between job opportunities and job stability. This paper addresses this issue using administrative longitudinal data for Germany and Italy, taken as representative examples of continuous and isolated reforms, respectively. The estimated piecewise constant job and employment duration models show that changes in the durations of the first job and employment - measured as the sum of multiple consecutive jobs - are observed in periods of labour market reforms. However, the existence of a trade-off is not confirmed by the results. In Germany, men have experienced an increase in employment stability over time, mated with somewhat longer job durations, while women have not benefitted from an increase in employment durations as a compensation for the marked decrease in their first job durations. In Italy, employment stability of the new entrants of both sexes has not improved after the reforms. The reduction in the duration of the first job has not been counterbalanced by an increase in the opportunity to find rapidly another job. These results suggest that the objective of increasing job opportunities by means of labour market deregulation has not been fully achieved.employment duration, work career, tenure, precarious jobs, labour market reforms, mixed proportional hazard.

The effectiveness of targeted wage subsidies for hard-to-place workers

"Targeted wage subsidies paid to employers are an important element of active labour market policies in Germany. This paper uses propensity score matching to investigate their effect on subsidised hard-to-place workers. In a first scenario, we estimate the average treatment effect of a subsidy on previously unemployed individuals. A second scenario analyses the effects of a subsidy on employment probabilities conditional on takingup employment. The third scenario investigates the additional effect of a subsidy on individuals, who have participated in a short-term training measure beforehand. Summing up and in line with the literature, the results show that subsidies have a favourable effect on the employment prospects of participants." (author's abstract

Lohnkostenzuschüsse und individuelle Arbeitslosigkeit : Analysen auf der Grundlage kombinierter Erhebungs- und Prozessdaten unter Anwendung von Propensity Score Matching (Wage subsidies and individual unemployment : analyses on the basisof combined survey and process data using propensity score matching)

"The paper presents results from a micro-econometric evaluation of targeted wage subsidies for the Federal Republic of Germany. The influence of wage subsidies on the periods of unemployment of the people participating in a wage subsidy programme is examined. The data basis is an IAB survey conducted for evaluation purposes in selected employment offices in early 1999. Information regarding the destination of participants and nonparticipants is obtained from the administrative data of the Federal Employment Service (Bundesanstalt für Arbeit). The selected methodical approach for estimating the effects of the subsidies takes into account the possible correlation of inflow probabilities and outcome variables. The results of the study indicate for all types of subsidies that on average the periods of unemployment of the assisted people are reduced as a result of the assistance. However, for the instruments that are more strongly oriented towards target groups the assistance periods or the subsequent compulsory employment periods are not yet over. For the instruments that are less strongly oriented towards target groups the estimated effects of the subsidies in many cases no longer differ significantly from zero following the end of the assistance periods." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))Lohnkostenzuschuss - Auswirkungen, Arbeitslosigkeitsdauer, arbeitsmarktpolitische Maßnahme - Erfolgskontrolle

Überkapazitäten zur Absicherung politischer Risiken und Instrumente finanzwirtschaftlicher Gegensteuerung

Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird modelltheoretisch gezeigt, dass die - auch in der Realität beobachtbare - Schaffung von Überkapazitäten eine rationale Unternehmensstrategie zur Begrenzung politischer Risiken sein kann. Es wird der Frage nachgegangen, wie solche Überinvestitionen aus volkswirtschaftlicher Sicht zu bewerten sind und welche wirtschaftspolitischen Instrumente Standorte nutzen können, um potentiellen Investoren glaubwürdig die langfristige Stabilität wirtschaftlicher Rahmenbedingungen zu signalisieren. --

Die Wiederentdeckung der Zweitwohnsitzsteuer durch die Kommunen: zu Wirkungen und Legitimation aus ökonomischer Sicht

The recently intensified search of many german cities for stabile revenues and their attempts to cope with the increased difficulties of public funding has led to the rediscovery of the so called secondary residence tax. The present article discusses the probable impact of the intensified use of this tax on jurisdictional competition. It's furthermore questioned whether the secondary residence tax can be defended by means of equivalence and the ability to pay principle. Our arguments show clearly that the desireable just contribution of secondary residents for their consumption of infrastructure can be attained much easier within the german fiscal constitution of the federal state. --

Visual Infrastructures of COVID-19 Messaging

Infecting more than two hundred and nineteen million people internationally as of September 2021, SARS-Cov2 (COVID-19) remains a major health crisis despite the availability of vaccines in many countries and publicized guidance on effective preventative measures (WHO, 2021). To combat the spread of the virus, governments worldwide have found themselves relying on their ability to exert control over health behaviors in public and private spaces. Visual communication, which includes both graphics and text, is an integral component of how these behavioral advisories are communicated to the public. Authorities translate scientific information into digestible designs for the public to achieve effective understanding and actionable protective measures. How are governments presenting and assessing the effectiveness of COVID-19-related information? Are there opportunities to maximize communication and develop models using existing frameworks? This interdisciplinary literary review pairs three models of risk and crisis communication with an information design framework to analyze COVID-19 materials shared by international governing agencies. Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) blends two popular disaster mitigation approaches to create a model that considers all stages of disaster response (Reynolds and Seeger, 2007). The Protective Action Decision Model (PADM; Lindell and Perry, 2012) and the Scenario Transition Model of Viewing and Reading ( Jaenichen, 2017) highlight the importance of considering context when crafting communication to increase the likelihood of message comprehension under stressful circumstances. Design perspectives are incorporated through the semiological lens of Jacques Bertin’s research on effective visual compositions (Bertin, 1983). Graphics sampled from the websites of international governments are used to illustrate the importance of leveraging design and communication strategy when communicating about risk and crisis scenarios

Levelling the playing field durch staatliche Beihilfen bei differierender Unternehmensmobilität

Fair Play seems to have constitutional importance in both spheres: At the playground and within the institutional framework which sets the premises sport competition is subjected to. The recent initiative of the Italian government named Salva-Calcio(Save the football) violates European standards of fairness of competition. This article reveals the state aid character of Salva-Calcio. It is furthermore shown that the specialty of Salva-Calcio, imposing a tax cut for national Clubs, points towards a more general problem of the European state aid control: Any policy measure concerning the national tax system fulfils principally the criteria set by article 87/I Treaty stablishing the EU. --