Representative time use data and new harmonised calibration of the American Heritage Time Use Data (AHTUD) 1965-1999

Representative and reliable individual time use data, in connection with a proper set of socio-economic back-ground variables, are essential elements for the empirical foundation and evaluation of existing and new theories in general and in particular for time use analyses. Within the international project Assessing Time Use Survey Datasets several potentially useful individual US time use heritage datasets have been identified for use in de-veloping an historical series of non-market accounts. In order to evaluate the series of American Heritage Time Use Data (AHTUD) (1965, 1975, 1985, 1992-94, 1998-99) this paper analyses the representativeness of this data when using given weights and provides a new harmonised calibration of the AHTUD for sound time use analyses. Our calibration procedure with its ADJUST program package is theoretically founded on information theory, consistent with a simultaneous weighting including hierarchical data, ensures desired positive weights, and is well-suited and available for any time use data calibration of interest. We present the calibration approach and provide new harmonised weights for all AHTUD surveys based on a substantially driven calibration frame-work. To illustrate the various application possibilities of a calibration, we finally disentangle demographic vs. time use behavioural changes and developments by re-calibrating all five AHTUD surveys using 1965 popula-tion totals as a benchmark.Representative time use data, calibration (adjustment re-weighting) of microdata, information theory, minimum information loss principle, American Heritage Time Use Data (AHTUD), ADJUST program package

Cumulation of Cross-Section Surveys - Evaluation of Alternative Concepts for the Cumulated Continuous Household Budget Surveys (LWR) 1999 until 2003 compared to the Sample Survey of Income and Expenditures (EVS) 2003

With the development of household budget systems and with regard to the requirements of the European Union with new EU-SILC approaches, the cumulation of cross-section surveys to an integrated information system is recently discussed and required. In particular the reconstruction of household budget surveys should deliver yearly results as well multi-annual sufficient large samples to allow in depth analyses. This study contributes by a general conceptual foundation of the cumulation of cross-sections and an application which in particular evaluates the new cumulation concept with actual large official samples: the cross sectional cumulation of five yearly Continuous Household Budget Surveys (Laufende Wirtschaftsrechnungen, LWR) which will be compared to the large quinquennial Sample Survey of Income and Expenditures (Einkommens- und Verbrauchsstichprobe, EVS) of the German Federal Statistical Office. Therewith the sensitivity of the cumulation concept with its alternatives is evaluated for private household consumption expenditures of selected expenditure groups. A recommendation concludes.cumulation of cross sections, temporary cumulation, adjustment by information theory, consumption expenditures, Continuous Household Budget Surveys (Laufende Wirtschaftsrechnungen, LWR), Sample Survey of Income and Expenditures (Einkommensund Verbrauchsstichprobe, EVS) of the German Federal Statistical Office

Representative Time Use Data and Calibration of the American Time Use Studies 1965-1999

Valid and reliable individual time use data in connection with an appriate set of socio -economic background variables are essential elements of an empirical foundation and evaluation of existing time use theories and for the search of new empirical-based hypotheses about individual behavior. Within the Yale project of Assessing American Heritage Time Use Studies (1965, 1975, 19895, 1992-94 and 1998/99), supported by the Glaser Foundation, and working with these time use studies, it is necessary to be sure about comparable representative data. As it will become evident, there is a serious bias in all of these files concerning demographic characteristics, characteristics which are important for substantive time use research analyses. Our study and new calibration solution will circumvent these biases by delivering a comprehensive demographic adjustment for all incorporated U.S. time use surveys, which is theoretically funded (here by information theory and the minimum information loss principle with its ADJUST program package), is consistent by a simultaneous weighting including hierarchical data, considers substantial requirements for time use research analyses and is similar and thus comparable in the demographic adjustment characteristics for all U.S. time use files to support substantial analyses and allows to disentangle demographic vs. time use behavioral changes and developments.time use, calibration (adjustment re-weighting) of microdata, information theory, minimum information loss principle, American Heritage Time Use Studies, ADJUST program package

Cumulation of Cross-Section Surveys: Evaluation of Alternative Concepts for the Cumulated Continuous Household Budget Surveys (LWR) 1999 until 2003 Compared to the Sample Survey of Income and Expenditures (EVS) 2003

With the development of household budget systems and with regard to the requirements of the European Union with new EU-SILC approaches, the cumulation of cross-section surveys to an integrated information system is recently discussed and required. In particular the reconstruction of household budget surveys should deliver yearly results as well multi-annual sufficient large samples to allow in depth analyses. This study contributes by a general conceptual foundation of the cumulation of cross-sections and an application which in particular evaluates the new cumulation concept with actual large official samples: the cross sectional cumulation of five yearly Continuous Household Budget Surveys (Laufende Wirtschaftsrechnungen, LWR) which will be compared to the large quinquennial Sample Survey of Income and Expenditures (Einkommens- und Verbrauchsstichprobe, EVS) of the German Federal Statistical Office. Therewith the sensitivity of the cumulation concept with its alternatives is evaluated for private household consumption expenditures of selected expenditure groups. A recommendation concludes.cumulation of cross sections, temporary cumulation, adjustment by information theory, consumption expenditures, Continuous Household Budget Surveys (Laufende Wirtschaftsrechnungen, LWR), Sample Survey of Income and Expenditures (Einkommens- und Verbrauchsstichprobe, EVS) of the German Federal Statistical Office

Cumulation of Cross-Section Surveys. Evaluation of Alternative Concepts for the Cumulated Continuous Household Budget Surveys (LWR) 1999 until 2003 compared to the Sample Survey of Income and Expenditures (EVS) 2003

With the development of household budget systems and with regard to the requirements of the European Union with new EU-SILC approaches, the cumulation of cross-section surveys to an integrated information system is recently discussed and required. In particular the reconstruction of household budget surveys should deliver yearly results as well multi-annual sufficient large samples to allow in depth analyses. This study contributes by a general conceptual foundation of the cumulation of cross-sections and an application which in particular evaluates the new cumulation concept with actual large official samples: the cross sectional cumulation of five yearly Continuous Household Budget Surveys (Laufende Wirtschaftsrechnungen, LWR) which will be compared to the large quinquennial Sample Survey of Income and Expenditures (Einkommens- und Verbrauchsstichprobe, EVS) of the German Federal Statistical Office. Therewith the sensitivity of the cumulation concept with its alternatives is evaluated for private household consumption expenditures of selected expenditure groups. A recommendation concludes.cumulation of cross sections, temporary cumulation, adjustment by information theory, consumption expenditures, Continuous Household Budget Surveys (Laufende Wirtschaftsrechnungen, LWR), Sample Survey of Income and Expenditures (Einkommensund Verbrauchsstichprobe, EVS) of the German Federal Statistical Office

Representative time use data and new harmonised calibration of the American Heritage Time Use Data (AHTUD) 1965-1999

Representative and reliable individual time use data, in connection with a proper set of socio-economic back-ground variables, are essential elements for the empirical foundation and evaluation of existing and new theories in general and in particular for time use analyses. Within the international project Assessing Time Use Survey Datasets several potentially useful individual US time use heritage datasets have been identified for use in de-veloping an historical series of non-market accounts. In order to evaluate the series of American Heritage Time Use Data (AHTUD) (1965, 1975, 1985, 1992-94, 1998-99) this paper analyses the representativeness of this data when using given weights and provides a new harmonised calibration of the AHTUD for sound time use analyses. Our calibration procedure with its ADJUST program package is theoretically founded on information theory, consistent with a simultaneous weighting including hierarchical data, ensures desired positive weights, and is well-suited and available for any time use data calibration of interest. We present the calibration approach and provide new harmonised weights for all AHTUD surveys based on a substantially driven calibration frame-work. To illustrate the various application possibilities of a calibration, we finally disentangle demographic vs. time use behavioural changes and developments by re-calibrating all five AHTUD surveys using 1965 popula-tion totals as a benchmark.Representative time use data, calibration (adjustment re-weighting) of microdata, information theory, minimum information loss principle, American Heritage Time Use Data (AHTUD), ADJUST program package

Datenbankgestützte Internetpräsenzen - Entwicklung und Realisation am Beispiel der Homepage des Forschungsinstituts Freie Berufe (FFB) der Universität Lüneburg

The concept of a database driven website strictly separates between the design and layout of a webpage from the content itself. While the layout as well as the programming of scripts is done conventionally with html-editors and graphic-suites and is saved in single files, the content is saved separately in a central database. Instead of editing hundreds of html-pages, a single template is created for a certain form of information. The content will be copied automatically into these templates if a user requests the needed information. One of the most important advantages of a database driven website is the possibility to use management-systems to maintain the content stored in the database, without requesting any html-programming-skills of the users of such a system. This way opens new possibilities to keep the content up to date easily and instantly. This documentation describes the theoretical basics on which a database driven website is built as well as their implementation using the programming language PHP 4.0 and the database server MySQL. An additional chapter describes the maintenance of contents using a management-system. All this is illustrated using the Homepage of the Research Institute on Professions (FFB) of the University of Lüneburg as an example.Internet, Website, relational Databank, Database driven Website,PHP, MySQL, HTML, SQL, Forschungsinstitut Freie Berufe, FFB

Professions, entrepreneurs, employees and the new German tax (cut) reform 2000 - A MICSIM microsimulation analysis of distributional impacts

With the tax reform 2000 Germany has seen the implementation of the most ambitious tax reduction programme in its post-war history. In the period from 1998 to 2005, taxpayers will benefit substantially from net tax relief more than DM 100 billions in total. It is expected, that private consumption and investment are stimulated - two essential requirements for promoting growth and employment. Under the aspect of the tax reform 2000 and the ‘Karlsruher Entwurf’ (an expert draft on further income tax reform approaches) compared to the former taxbase system we investigate in our paper overall and distributional and redistributional impacts on the self employed (professions (free lancers) and entrepreneurs) and employees besides other socioeconomic grouping like gender and family type. In addition, a decomposition analysis based on a generalized entropy approach quantifies the socioeconomic subgroups’ inequality contribution to overall inequality. Together with the recent poverty and wealth report for our government, this is the first time that the anonymized microdata records of the German Income Tax Statistic can be used by researchers within the Federal Statistical Office. Such a microdata file is essential for analysing above all the often neglected situation of the selfemployed; in traditional surveys, where, in principle, firm information yielding the final income and taxes to be paid are not available for the self-employed.Microsimulation, tax reform, distribution of income, redistribution, self-employed, liberal professions

Cumulation of cross-section surveys: evaluation of alternative concepts for the Cumulated Continuous Household Budget Surveys (LWR) 1999 until 2003 compared to the Sample Survey of Income and Expenditures (EVS) 2003

"With the development of household budget systems and with regard to the requirements of the European Union with new EU-SILC approaches, the cumulation of cross-section surveys to an integrated information system is recently discussed and required. In particular the reconstruction of household budget surveys should deliver yearly results as well multi-annual sufficient large samples to allow in depth analyses. This study contributes by a general conceptual foundation of the cumulation of cross-sections and an application which in particular evaluates the new cumulation concept with actual large official samples: the cross sectional cumulation of five yearly Continuous Household Budget Surveys (Laufende Wirtschaftsrechnungen, LWR) which will be compared to the large quinquennial Sample Survey of Income and Expenditures (Einkommens- und Verbrauchsstichprobe, EVS) of the German Federal Statistical Office. Therewith the sensitivity of the cumulation concept with its alternatives is evaluated for private household consumption expenditures of selected expenditure groups. A recommendation concludes." (author's abstract

Kumulation von Querschnitten - Evaluierung alternativer Konzepte für die kumulierten laufenden Wirtschaftsrechnungen 1999 bis 2003 im Vergleich zur Einkommens- und Verbrauchsstichprobe 2003

With the development of household budget systems and with regard to the requirements of the European Union with new EU-SILC approaches, the cumulation of cross-section surveys to an integrated information system is recently discussed and required. In particular the reconstruction of household budget surveys should deliver yearly results as well multi-annual sufficient large samples to allow in depth analyses. This study contributes by a general conceptual foundation of the cumulation of cross-sections and an application which in particular evaluates the new cumulation concept with actual large official samples: the cross sectional cumulation of five yearly Continuous Household Budget Surveys (Laufende Wirtschaftsrechnungen, LWR) which will be compared to the large quinquennial Sample Survey of Income and Expenditures (Einkommens- und Verbrauchsstichprobe, EVS) of the German Federal Statistical Office. Therewith the sensitivity of the cumulation concept with its alternatives is evaluated for private household consumption expenditures of selected expenditure groups. A recommendation concludes.cumulation of cross sections, temporary cumulation, adjustment by information theory, consumption expenditures, Continuous Household Budget Surveys (Laufende Wirtschaftsrechnungen, LWR), Sample Survey of Income and Expenditures (Einkommens- und Verbrauchsstichprobe, EVS) of the German Federal Statistical Office