Analyzing an active labor market program in Germany - a regional approach: an attempt to use propensity score matching for the estimation of causal effects on the level of counties and independent cities

"The Institute for Work, Skills and Training was assigned to evaluate a labor market program aimed at the integration of long-term unemployed individuals aged 50 or older. The integration should have been achieved not only by training and coaching of individuals, but also by building regional networks between labor market stakeholders within a region. To appraise the success of the action undertaken on the regional level in the sense of causal effects, an observational study was used. The experimental- and control-groups were built using propensity score matching. The matching was done using not individual-level data, but data on the regional level because of missing individual data and the aims of the program. The mean growth of the number of employees subject to social insurance contributions over time was chosen as the outcome of the program. The findings are that observational studies are suitable to estimate the causal effects of active labor market programs on the regional (macro) level if individual data are missing or if the aims of the program cannot be observed on the individual level."[author´s abstract

Migration related intentions to stay and return in SOEP dataset

Migration related intentions to stay in Germany or return to home country are conceptualized in different contexts in research on migration and integration. With the German Socio-economic Panel dataset (SOEP) provided by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) it is possible to undertake comprehensive longitudinal and cross-sectional studies on this topic. The paper describes which variables are included in the SOEP concerning this matter, identifies some constraints of the information provided and shows an exemplary analysis.Migration; Integration; Identifikative Assimilation; Rückkehrabsichten; Verbleibsabsichten; SOEP

Goodbye Germany - und dann?: Erste Ergebnisse einer Pilotstudie zur Befragung von Auswanderern aus Deutschland

In contrast to the vast body of data on immigration to Germany, there is almost no scientifically valid data available on emigration flows from Germany and the factors motivating people to emigrate. In particular, there is an almost total lack of data on the living conditions of emigrants after their arrival in their new home countries. It is thus unsurpising that the German emigration research is currently based mainly on aggregated emigration data from official statistical sources as well as on non-representative quantitative and qualitative studies of specific emigrant groups. This was the point of departure for the pilot project "Life outside Germany" which attempted to follow Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) participants who left Germany between 2002 and 2006, with the central aim of obtaining information about these individuals' motivations for leaving and their living conditions in their new home countries. The project succeeded in locating 67 of the 288 former SOEP respondents who had been identified as emigrants. These individuals were sent thespecially designed questionnaire by mail, and a total of 32 interviews were completed and returned. The present study starts by presenting the empirical findings from the pilot study. The main problem of the analysis lies less in the (controllable) selectivity of the respondents (32 of 288), and more the (still) extremely low case numbers, which do not allow scientifically sound conclusions to be drawn from the results. A further aim of this paper is therefore to provide an example of the basic research potential that lies in emigrant surveys, particularly in surveying SOEP respondents who have moved abroad. Linking information before and after the point of emigration creates new possibilities for empirical life-course research, which in turn - from an understanding of migration as a fundamentally open-ended process - open up new empirical perspectives for migration research.SOEP, migration, emigration, emigrants, Germany

Migrationsbezogene Verbleibs- und Rückkehrabsichten im SOEP

Migration related intentions to stay in Germany or return to home country are conceptualized in different contexts in research on migration and integration. With the German Socio-economic Panel dataset (SOEP) provided by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) it is possible to undertake comprehensive longitudinal and cross-sectional studies on this topic. The paper describes which variables are included in the SOEP concerning this matter, identifies some constraints of the information provided and shows an exemplary analysis

Hype or opportunity? Tokenization as engagement platform in sport marketing

Purpose Novel technologies such as tokenization have the potential to disrupt value co-creation in sport marketing. Tokenization in particular has generated a hype in sport marketing by facilitating engagement behavior. However, it remains unclear to what extent tokenization can serve as an engagement platform to enable new and innovative interactions between sport organizations and its network of actors. Design/methodology/approach The study investigated a tokenized governance platform of a professional sport club as engagement platform by means of a case study applying a multi-method approach combining document analyses and semi-structured interviews with sport management, sport club fans and blockchain experts. Findings Governance tokens indeed foster fan engagement by including fans in decision-making processes. The engagement platform is meant to enable two-way communication between fans and professional sport clubs. However, benefits could be overrated, and fans describe concerns about increasing commercialization due to the application of governance tokens. Thus, opportunities must be balanced out to foster engagement of sport club fans. Originality/value The findings contribute to extending the phenomenon of tokenization as a financing model and engagement platform in sport marketing. The results show how tokenized governance platforms can be applied in sport marketing and how they contribute to value co-creation in the digital world of sport clubs

Categorizing engagement behavior in sport brand communities – an empirical study informed by social practice theory

This study ventures into uncharted territory by focusing exclusively on digital platforms to scrutinize engagement practices within sport clubs and their pivotal role in nurturing vibrant brand communities. By employing a multifaceted methodological framework that blends netnography, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews, it delves into the nuanced ways clubs employ digital strategies to foster active participation and cultivate a sense of belonging among community members. A novel aspect of this research is its consideration of digital engagement platforms as the social context, analyzing how the surrounding social environment influences and enhances digital engagement practices. Furthermore, the study breaks new ground by extending its analysis beyond dyadic relationships to explore the network effects on engagement practices. Therefore, it offers a comprehensive understanding of how these dynamics contribute to the development and sustainability of sport brand communities. The findings reveal the critical importance of diverse engagement practices in fostering meaningful interactions that strengthen a sport brand community fabric. This research enriches the field by presenting actionable insights for sport clubs to refine their digital engagement strategies in the context of broader social networks and effects. This paper makes a significant contribution to the literature by illuminating the complex interplay between digital engagement, social context, and network dynamics in the cultivation of sport brand communities

Migrationsbezogene Verbleibs- und Rückkehrabsichten im SOEP

Migration related intentions to stay in Germany or return to home country are conceptualized in different contexts in research on migration and integration. With the German Socio-economic Panel dataset (SOEP) provided by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) it is possible to undertake comprehensive longitudinal and cross-sectional studies on this topic. The paper describes which variables are included in the SOEP concerning this matter, identifies some constraints of the information provided and shows an exemplary analysis

Die Rückkehr immer wieder aufgeschoben

"Zurückkehren oder Bleiben: Vor dieser Frage standen die vielen Gastarbeiterinnen und Gastarbeiter aus der Türkei und südeuropäischen Anwerbeländern, die zwischen 1955 und 1973 in die Bundesrepublik Deutschland einwandert waren. Obwohl eine Rückkehr in die Herkunftsländer von der Politik und auch von den Arbeitsmigranten selbst geplant war, schoben viele die Verwirklichung immer wieder auf. Erwartungen des Herkunftskontextes, Orientierung an der eigenethnischen Gruppe und der über lange Zeit unklare Rechtsstatus führten zu einem Leben zwischen verschiedenen Erwartungen und Anforderungen."[Autorenreferat

Deutschland ein Auswanderungsland?

Pro Jahr verlassen 0,8 Prozent der Bevölkerung Deutschland, das sind etwa 650 000 Personen. Das Medienecho auf diese Auswanderung ist überzogen schrill, denn die meisten Auswanderer haben bereits einen Migrationshintergrund und setzen ihre Migration fort oder kehren in ihre Heimatländer zurück. Zudem zieht ein beachtlicher Teil der Auswanderer nach Österreich und in die Schweiz um, von wo aus eine Rückwanderung vergleichsweise einfach möglich ist. Eine explorative erste Erhebung bei ausgewanderten Teilnehmern der Wiederholungsbefragung Sozio-oekonomisches Panel (SOEP) zeigt zudem, dass Auswanderung zwar wie erwartet für Viele mit Verbesserungen der Lebensumstände einhergeht. Allerdings geben etwa ein Sechstel der Wiederbefragten ernste Probleme und eine Rückwanderungsabsicht an. Geht man davon aus, dass nicht erfolgreiche Auswanderer bei der Panelbefragung nicht mehr mitmachen, ist dieser Anteil der Unzufriedenen und potentiellen Rückwanderer umso höher zu bewerten. Die mit Auswanderung verbundenen Hoffnungen und Träume gehen auch heutzutage - wie seit Jahrhunderten - keineswegs immer in ErfüllungSOEP, Migration, Emigration, Emigrants, Germany