Profit Sharing and Training

We analyze the impact of profit sharing on the share of workers receiving training. An effect is plausible because: 1) profit sharing is a credible commitment by firms to reward firm-specific skills acquired by formal or informal training, 2) profit sharing may reduce turnover and increase the returns to training, 3) a common payment for the whole workforce leads to peer group pressure to participate in training courses and raises incentives to help co-workers. In order to eliminate possible selectivity effects, we combine a matching approach with difference-in-differences. We identify the proportion of employees participating in profits and differentiate profit sharing according to the percentage of the workers covered by such remuneration schemes. Using German establishment data we find that profit sharing only has a significant effect on training intensity if the majority of the workforce benefits from it.profit sharing, training, matching

U.S. Democracy Promotion in the Middle East: More and Less Than Meets the Eye

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College

Untersuchung intrazellulärer Überlebensstrategien von Staphylococcus aureus unter Verwendung eines photokonvertierbaren Reporter-Systems als Biosensor für den metabolischen Status der Bakterien

Staphylococcus aureus is a human pathogen with an extra-/intracellular dual lifestyle enabling to invade, survive and proliferate in host cells, protected from the host immune system and antibiotic treatment. A better understanding of S. aureus intracellular lifestyle may facilitate the development of new therapeutic approaches. Therefore, the overall aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms used by S. aureus to survive and replicate intracellularly within different host cells. For this purpose, an S. aureus strain encoding the mKikumeGR proliferation reporter system was used in a dual RNA-seq approach to determine the correlation between gene expression changes and the metabolic state of internalized bacteria. The host transcriptional profiles, dominated by the expression of pro-inflammatory genes, did not differ between macrophages harboring metabolically active/proliferating S. aureus and those harboring metabolically inactive S. aureus, suggesting that the metabolic state of the internalized bacteria was not dictated by heterogeneity within the host cell population. On the pathogen side, metabolically active/proliferating and metabolically inactive S. aureus exhibited a common response comprising a core set of genes representing a general stress response to the intracellular host milieu. Beside this, a specific transcriptional signature was identified. While metabolic active intracellular S. aureus showed higher expression of genes involved in proliferation, the red metabolically inactive bacteria had higher expression of oxidative stress-related genes and ribosome hibernation. The influence of the internalization route on the fate of intracellular S. aureus was also investigated. The internalization pathway used by S. aureus to access an intracellular compartment permissive for bacterial replication was found to be cell-type specific. While in macrophages, S. aureus used an α5ß1-integrin-mediated internalization pathway likely via macropinocytosis, the invasion mechanism in epithelial cells seems to be caveolae-mediated and induced by secreted Hla. Furthermore, the polarization state of macrophages influenced the fate of S. aureus since, in contrast to M1 macrophages, only M2 macrophages were permissive for intracellular proliferation. In summary, this study provides evidence for an internalization pathway of S. aureus where clathrin-independent endocytic vesicles might display a compartment for intracellular replication of S. aureus.Staphylococcus aureus ist ein Humanpathogen mit einem intra-/extrazellulären Lebenszyklus der die Invasion von Wirtszellen ermöglicht um dort, geschützt vor dem Immunsystem und Antibiotika, zu überleben und sich zu teilen. Da ein besseres Verständnis über den intrazellulären Lebenszyklus von S. aureus die Entwicklung neuer therapeutischer Ansätze fördern könnte, war es das Ziel, die von S. aureus verwendeten Mechanismen zum Überleben in verschiedenen Wirtszellen zu untersuchen. Der hierfür verwendete Stamm exprimiert das mKikumeGR Reporter-System, das erlaubt die intrazelluläre metabolische Aktivität zu verfolgen und wurde genutzt, um in einem dualen RNA-Seq Ansatz Genexpressionsänderungen und mit dem metabolischen Status der Bakterien zu korrelieren. Die Transkriptionsprofile des Wirts, die hauptsächlich die Expression von pro-inflammatorischen Genen zeigen, unterschieden sich nicht zwischen den Makrophagen, die metabolisch aktive S. aureus und denen die metabolisch inaktive Bakterien enthielten. Daraus lässt sich schließen, dass der metabolische Status der Bakterien nicht zurückzuführen ist auf eine Heterogenität innerhalb der Wirtszellpopulation. Die metabolisch aktiven und inaktiven S. aureus exprimierten ein gemeinsames, grundlegendes Gen-Set, das die allgemeine Stressantwort auf das intrazelluläre Milieu darstellen. Außerdem konnten spezielle transkriptionelle Signaturen einzelnen bakteriellen Stoffwechselzuständen zugeordnet werden. Während metabolisch aktive S. aureus wichtige Gene für die Proliferation stärker exprimierten, zeigen metabolisch inaktive S. aureus ein Expressionsprofil, das auf oxidativen Stress und den Ruhezustand von Ribosomen hinweisen. Zudem wurde der Einfluss des Aufnahmeweges in die Wirtszellen auf das Überleben von S. aureus untersucht. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass das Bakterium einen zelltypabhängigen Weg nutzt um ein Kompartiment zu erreichen, in dem es sich teilen kann. Während eine α5ß1-Integrin vermittelte Aufnahme vermutlich über Macropinocytose genutzt wird um in Makrophagen zu gelangen, scheint die Invasion von Epithelzellen Hla-induziert über Caveolae abzulaufen. Außerdem beeinflusst die Polarisation von Makrophagen das Überleben von S. aureus, da im Gegensatz zu M1- nur M2- Makrophagen die intrazelluläre Replikation zuließen. Zusammengefasst liefert diese Studie Beweise für einen Aufnahme von S. aureus bei dem Clathrin-unabhängige endozytische Vesikel Kompartimente darstellen könnten, die eine Replikation zulassen

Profit-sharing and innovation

We investigate the effect of profit-sharing on product and process innovation. Profit-sharing is a credible commitment of the companies to let the employees participate in any efficiency gain. Resistance against technical progress becomes less plausible. Moreover, employees are stimulated to share their specific information advantage on possibilities to optimize the production process and products with the management. We take account of possible selectivity effects and using survey data on German companies with and without profitsharing in a conditional difference-in-differences framework, we test our hypothesis by comparing measures of innovativeness. Based on matching (selectivity on observable covariates) in a static comparison firms with a share system show both more product and process innovations. In a dynamic setting, we find that the introduction of profit-sharing only spurs product innovation

Let’s call it a day - The effect of works councils on working hours constraints in german establishments

This study analyzes the impact of works councils on discrepancies between the preferred and actual working hours of employees. The results show that workers in codetermined establishments are more likely to match their working time preferences. This positive effect is due to a reduction of overemployment. However, the presence of works councils can also slightly increase the probability of employees working less than they would prefer. All effects are stronger for parents, especially for mothers, which confirms that works councils care for the compatibility of work and family life. Finally, the positive impact of works councils on working hours constraints can be explained by a lower probability of parents working overtime

The role of selection effects in organizational change: Empirical evidence on worker participation and human resource management practices in Germany

This dissertation tries to obtain a better understanding of how selection effects can affect the analysis of human resource management practices or employee participation. The effects of works councils and selected personnel measures in German firms are analysed, where selection on observable and unobservable factors is controlled for by using matching techniques and difference-in-differences. Chapter 2 shows that works councils are rather implemented in firms where employees are afraid of losing their job but also in firms with relatively high wages. The introduction of a works council has no effect on several outcomes like wages, employee turnover and overtime work, but a positive effect on workers’ perceived job security. Thus, the aim of works councils seems to be rent protection rather than rent seeking. In Chapter 3 the effects of profit sharing on productivity are analysed. As profit sharing means that wages directly depend on the firm’s performance, incentive effects are expected. The study shows that – although profit sharing positively affects productivity - effects are overestimated if selection is not taken into account. Profit sharing can also affect different outcomes, e.g. investments in human capital, which is analysed in Chapter 4. The results indicate that firms which introduce profit sharing have a higher increase in training intensity compared to firms without profit sharing. However, this is only the case if the majority of employees participate in profits. Chapter 5 shows how training can affect workers’ labour market success. Older and younger workers have different aims when participating in training which also reflects in different effects. Younger participants profit from training by an increase in wages whereas older participants experience an increase in perceived job security