Age and productivity : evidence from linked employer employee data

In most Western, industrialised countries the workforce is ageing rapidly. In order to assess the possible consequences of an ageing workforce, this paper measures the impact of changes in the age structure of establishments on productivity using representative linked employer-employee panel data. We take into account that the levels as well as the changes in the age structure of establishments and their production are likely to be simultaneously determined and apply dynamic GMM methods. We find that establishment productivity increases with the share of employees until the age of 50-55 and only decreases slightly afterwards. Our findings suggest that previous estimations are biased because they either do not take into account endogeneity, time dependencies, or crucial information correlated with age shares and productivity. Large standard deviations point to important variation in the age productivity profile among establishments

Landschaftsentwicklung mit dem ökologischen Landbau- das Beispiel Hof Medewege (Schwerin)

Die Neugestaltung ausgeräumter Ackerflächen als Herausforderung: Der Hof Medewege grenzt an den Stadtrand von Schwerin an. Der seit 1993 bestehende, rund 80 ha umfassende Demeter-Betrieb hat im Sommer 2000 147 ha hinzupachten kön-nen, davon knapp 100 ha in Form einer einzigen ungegliederten Teilfläche. Die Pacht wurde auf Bestreben des städtischen Umweltamtes möglich, das dort sogenannte „Ausgleichsgelder“ (aus dem Bau einer Umgehungsstraße) in Gestaltungsmaßnah-men investieren will und die ökologische Bewirtschaftung als optimale Ausgangsbe-dingung dafür ansieht. Als weitere Rahmenbedingung im Hintergrund steht die Bun-desgartenschau, die im Jahr 2009 in Schwerin ausgerichtet werden soll. Der Hof Medewege und seine Landschaft grenzen an das künftige BUGA-Gelände an und sollen als Naherholungsgebiet in die Planungen einbezogen werden. Wie können Maßnahmen wie die Neugestaltung ausgeräumter Ackerflächen auf einem ökologisch wirtschaftenden Betrieb so organisiert werden, dass sich interessierte Beteiligte – hier vor allem die Bewirtschafter und verantwortliche Behördenvertreter – in einen Landschaftsentwicklungsplanungsprozess einbringen können? Welche Gesichtspunkte sind bei der Neustrukturierung ausgeräumter Flächen zu berücksichtigen? Welche Anforderungen ergeben sich aus einer solchen Aufgabe für Berater, die derartige Entwicklungsprozesse fördern und begleiten

Separating wheat and chaff: age-specific staffing strategies and innovative performance at the firm level

Adopting a dynamic perspective, this paper investigates age-related staffing patterns in German establishments and their effect on innovative performance. First, we investigate how establishments achieve the necessary workforce rejuvenation - from the inflow of younger or from outflows of older workers. In addition, we explore whether certain staffing patterns are more likely to appear under different economic regimes. In a second step, we analyse whether an establishment’s innovative performance is related to the staffing patterns it experiences. The analysis of linked-employer-employee data shows that most of the 585 German establishments covered rejuvenate by inflows of younger workers. Half of the establishments also use the outflow of older workers. Furthermore, workforces are more likely to become more age-heterogeneous in growing establishments. Finally, we do not find evidence that a youth-centred human resource strategy (always) fosters innovation

Preliminary Report on Conodonts of the Meramecian Stage (Upper Mississippian) from the Subsurface of Western Kansas

Conodonts are microscopic toothlike and platelike structures belonging to an extinct, unknown group of marine animals which probably were bilaterally symmetrical, soft bodied, and free swimming. These fossil structures range from a fraction of a millimeter to about three millimeters in length. They are composed chiefly of calcium phosphate, are either amber or grayish black in color, and are translucent to opaque. Conodonts, known to range from the Lower Ordovician into the Upper Triassic, have a world-wide distribution and have been found to be a useful tool to the stratigraphic paleontologist, despite the fact that there has been little unanimity on the zoological affinity of the animal that bore the conodonts, or on the function that was performed by these structures (Hass, 1962). Conodonts are good index fossils because they are durable, abundant, distinctive, and widespread in their geographic distribution yet restricted in their stratigraphic ranges. Because they are minute, conodonts are well suited for subsurface investigation. They provide a relatively dependable means of correlating different lithologies of biostratigraphic equivalents

Preliminary Report on Conodonts of the Meramecian Stage (Upper Mississippian) from the Subsurface of Western Kansas

Conodonts are microscopic toothlike and platelike structures belonging to an extinct, unknown group of marine animals which probably were bilaterally symmetrical, soft bodied, and free swimming. These fossil structures range from a fraction of a millimeter to about three millimeters in length. They are composed chiefly of calcium phosphate, are either amber or grayish black in color, and are translucent to opaque. Conodonts, known to range from the Lower Ordovician into the Upper Triassic, have a world-wide distribution and have been found to be a useful tool to the stratigraphic paleontologist, despite the fact that there has been little unanimity on the zoological affinity of the animal that bore the conodonts, or on the function that was performed by these structures (Hass, 1962). Conodonts are good index fossils because they are durable, abundant, distinctive, and widespread in their geographic distribution yet restricted in their stratigraphic ranges. Because they are minute, conodonts are well suited for subsurface investigation. They provide a relatively dependable means of correlating different lithologies of biostratigraphic equivalents