Usage and Diffusion of Cellular Telephony, 1998-2004

In this paper, we study the dynamics of usage intensity of second-generation cellular telephony over the diffusion curve. We address two specific questions: First, does information about usage intensity over time allow us to draw conclusions about the underlying drivers of technology diffusion? Second, what effect does the existence and penetration of previous generations and other networks in the same generation on network usage intensity? Using an operator-level panel covering 41 countries with quarterly data over 6 years, we find that heterogeneity among adopters dominates network effects and that different technological generations are complements in terms of usage, but substitutes in terms of subscription

Die Abteilung Regulierung von Arbeit: Aktuelle Projekte und Veröffentlichungen 1988 bis 2000

Dieses Paper enthält eine Darstellung der Ziele und des Arbeitsprogramms der Abteilung „Regulierung von Arbeit“, wie sie von Frieder Naschold zum Abschluß der Dokumentationsphase aus Anlaß des alle zwei Jahre erscheinenden „WZB Berichts“ für die Jahre 1998/99 Ende November 1999 niedergelegt wurden. Der Tod Frieder Nascholds am 30.11.1999 stellt einen tiefgreifenden Einschnitt für die Abteilung dar, deren Direktor Frieder Naschold seit ihrer Konstituierung im Jahre 1988 war. Das Paper enthält darüber hinaus die Veröffentlichungen der Mitglieder der Abteilung und ihrer Kooperationspartner für den Zeitraum von 1988 bis in das laufende Jahr 2000 hinein. Die Zusammenstellung dokumentiert damit den Abschluß einer Ära und zugleich die Weiterführung des Arbeitsprogramms und der zentralen Forschungslinien der Abteilung. --

“But One Needs to Work!”: Neoliberal Citizenship, Work-Based Immigrant Integration, and Post-Socialist Subjectivities in Berlin-Marzahn

This is the accepted version of the following article: MATEJSKOVA, T., 2012. "But One Needs to Work!": neoliberal citizenship, work-based immigrant integration, and post-socialist subjectivities in Berlin-Marzahn. Antipode, 45 (4), pp.984-1004, which has been published in final form at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8330.2012.01050.xThis paper examines how middle-aged and older post-Soviet immigrants in eastern Berlin navigate the neoliberalized landscape of work-based integration in face of their long-term unemployment. I first show how these immigrants’ own insistence on the centrality of paid work for their feeling integrated contributes to their experience of collective despondency and enrollment in exploitative quasi-markets, including workfare. Focusing on this insistence, I examine how it draws strength primarily from their continued subscription to the conceptions of self as deeply socially embedded, and of work as a practice of such an embedding, adopted through their Soviet-era socialization into the culture of dispersed personhood and obligation to work, rather than from their adoption of neoliberal concepts of citizenship in Germany. Contributing to geographies of post-socialist experience of neoliberalized regimes of citizenship and immigrant integration this paper thus highlights how some of the aspects of post-socialist subjectivities dovetail unexpectedly with the neoliberal project

Charitable giving and nonbinding contribution-level suggestions Evidence from a field experiment

When asking for donations, charitable organizations often suggest a potential amount to contribute. However, the evidence concerning the effects of such suggestions is scarce and inconsistent. Unlike the majority of earlier studies concerned with small-money solicitations, we examine the effect of larger nonbinding suggestions in the context of middle-range donations which are relevant in practice. In a randomized field experiment conducted in conjunction with the Bavarian State Opera, opera visitors received solicitation letters asking to support a social youth project organized by the opera house. The three different treatments were: no suggestion and suggestions of €100 and €200, respectively. Both suggestions were larger than average and median donations in this context. We find that suggested contribution levels substantially influence the distribution of donations actually received. The mean amounts given increase significantly if a suggestion is made. The increase is stronger in the €200 treatment. On the other hand, the participation rate decreases if a suggestion is made. Overall, the returns from the campaign increase non-significantly when a suggestion is made. The solicitation was repeated a year later, without any suggestion. There is weak evidence that suggestions have a long-term effect on individual contribution-level decisions. I

Financing Bologna, the internationally mobile students in European Higher Education

Despite the importance of the Bologna process for the mobility of students, and the further mobility of graduates, as well as for peace, growth and welfare in that area, nothing has been decided so far for the financing of internationally mobile students, so that the burden of that financing, usually public, is supported by the host country. Moreover in- and outflows of students show imbalances and such imbalances are expected to increase with mobility. Therefore, we first suggest and discuss an alternative system transferring the responsibility for financing higher education to the country of origin of the students (except for those from developing countries). Origin country finances students from its territory through a two-part portable voucher: one part is dedicated to the financing of the true cost of studies, the other part intends to support student’s life and might be designed in such a way that some social goals are reached. Those vouchers can be used anywhere in a defined international area provided it is in the designed field of studies and in a school whose quality has been recognized by the issuing country. Some actual systems at work in the world, which prefigure aspects of the proposal, are presented in appendix. Second, we show that, when coupled with a compensation of the origin country in case of international career of the graduate, the system proposed in this paper might be equivalent to a centralized efficient design

Archiv des Wissenschaftszentrums Berlin für Sozialforschung: Erste Findbücher veröffentlicht

Mit den Aktenbeständen der Gesellschafterversammlung, des Kuratoriums, des Beirats und des Wissenschaftlichen Rats sind bereits große Teile der ersten Bestandsgruppe unseres im Aufbau befindlichen Hausarchivs, dem "Gedächtnis des WZB", erschlossen. Diese Gruppe wird vornehmlich gebildet aus Archivalien, die von internen Gremien, Berufungskommissionen und anderen Kommissionen und Ausschüssen stammen. Die entsprechenden Findbücher sind mittlerweile hausintern online zugänglich ist. Die verzeich..

WZB-Geschichte en passant. Aufbau und Zerfall des Interaktionssystems Luhmann/WZB

Gästebuch des IIMV – Internationales Institut für Management und Verwaltung am WZB, Eintrag vom 1. März 1974, Niklas Luhmann (WZB-Archiv) Das Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin – den Namenszusatz "für Sozialforschung" erhielt es erst 1985 – war von Anfang an groß gedacht. Das im Februar 1969 durch eine interfraktionelle Gruppe von Bundestagsabgeordneten in Form einer gemeinnützigen Gesellschaft mbH gegründete Zentrum sollte – so hält es ein Memorandum zur WZB-Gründung fest – mit mehreren Institutsvo..

ARCHIV DES WISSENSCHAFTSZENTRUMS BERLIN FÜR SOZIALFORSCHUNG: DIE SCHREIBMASCHINE ALS INTELLEKTUELLES ARBEITSGERÄT

Wo heutzutage gedämpfte Tastaturgeräusche oder ein leises Klicken der PC-Maus als normale Arbeitsgeräusche wahrgenommen werden, waren vor der Einführung des Computers noch klappernde Schreibmaschinen und klingelnde Telefone tonbestimmend, wenn es um das Arbeiten und Forschen ging. Lord Ralf Dahrendorf (1929-2009) indes, der große deutsch-britische Soziologe, Politiker und Publizist, der ab 2005 WZB-Forschungsprofessor war, ist vor der technologischen Allmacht des Computers zurückgewichen und..

A Service of zbw Tax-price elasticity of charitable donations: Evidence from the German taxpayer panel Economics of Change Tax-price Elasticity of Charitable Donations - Evidence from the German Taxpayer Panel

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Discussion papers of the WZB serve to disseminate the research results of work in progress prior to publication to encourage the exchange of ideas and academic debate. Inclusion of a paper in the discussion paper series does not constitute publication and should not limit publication in any other venue. The discussion papers published by the WZB represent the views of the respective author(s) and not of the institute as a whole. The results suggest that the permanent tax-price elasticity varies significantly by income class, ranging from -0.2 for low incomes to -1.6 for higher incomes. Permanent income elasticity does not vary much among income classes, is rather low, and ranges between 0.2-0.3. The donors adjust their donations gradually after changes in the tax schedule and respond to future predictable changes in price. They respond to changes in current and, to a smaller extent, in future income. Terms of use: Documents i