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  • Taxation of Top Incomes and Tax Avoidance

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    This paper studies the aggregate and distributional effects of raising the top marginal income tax rate in the presence of tax avoidance. To this end, we develop a quantitative macroeconomic model with heterogeneous agents and occupational choice in which entrepreneurs can avoid taxes in two ways. On the extensive margin, entrepreneurs can choose the legal form of their business organization to reduce their tax burden. On the intensive margin, entrepreneurs can shift their income between different tax bases. In a quantitative application to the US economy, we find that tax avoidance lowers productive efficiency, generates sizable welfare losses, and reduces the effectiveness of the top marginal tax rate at lowering inequality. Tax avoidance reduces the optimal top marginal income tax rate from 47 % to 43 %.

  • The Political Economy of Domestic and External Sovereign Debt

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    This paper explores the political and distributional consequences of sovereign debt and default taking into account that a sizable share of public debt is held by domestic creditors. We develop a quantitative macroeconomic model in which heterogeneous households face idiosyncratic income risk and save in non-state-contingent government bonds. Debt contracts are not enforceable and the government is politically constrained in its policy choices: A fiscal plan is required to receive the support of the majority of households. If neither fiscal plan is approved, the government has to default and to restructure domestic and external debt. Debt crises are characterized by a political conflict. In the course of a crisis, rising debt service costs force the government to cut redistributive spending. While wealthy households benefit from high interest rates on their savings, poor households support a default. Consequently, the approval of the fiscal plan decreases and the likelihood of a political default rises. Political constraints generate sizable welfare costs highlighting that individuals do not internalize the impact of their voting on interest rates and redistributive spending in equilibrium.

  • (2023): Could classic psychedelics influence immigrants’ acculturation process? : A narrative review contemplating how Drug Science, Policy and Law. Sage. 2023, 9. ISSN 2050-3245. eISSN 2050-3245. Available under: doi: 10.1177/20503245231191400

    Could classic psychedelics influence immigrants’ acculturation process? : A narrative review contemplating how

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    Rising international migration, paired with increasing public support for far-right political parties, poses a growing challenge to the countries tasked with successfully integrating immigrants into their society. Further complicating this matter is the fact that the acculturation process which immigrants undergo to fully integrate into their host society can be long, difficult, and taxing to their mental health, physical health, and sense of belonging. A better understanding of how the unique burdens faced by immigrants might be alleviated or more easily processed is therefore vital for the success of both immigrants and their host countries. Drawing on initial findings suggesting that classic psychedelics can help individuals process incidents of discrimination, make healthier decisions, and experience deeper feelings of connectedness to others, this literature review presents a roadmap for determining what classic psychedelics may offer immigrants, a large and rapidly growing international minority group.

  • Exzellenzcluster „The Politics of Inequality“ (Hrsg.) (2023): Information, Sprache, Macht

    Information, Sprache, Macht

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    dc.title:


    dc.contributor.editor: Exzellenzcluster „The Politics of Inequality“

  • (2023): Can policies improve language vitality? : The Sámi languages in Sweden and Norway Frontiers in Psychology. Frontiers. 2023, 14, 1059696. eISSN 1664-1078. Available under: doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1059696

    Can policies improve language vitality? : The Sámi languages in Sweden and Norway

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    Introduction: Language policies are often aimed at changing language behaviours, yet it is notoriously difficult to assess their effects. This study investigates language use and competence in the Indigenous Sámi populations of Norway and Sweden in light of the national-level policies the two countries have adopted.



    Methods: We provide a cross-country comparison of relevant educational, linguistic and budgetary policies in Sweden and Norway. Next, we present novel data from a survey with 5,416 Sámi and non-Sámi participants in 20 northern municipalities, examining Sámi language use and proficiencies across generations and contexts. Lexical proficiency in North Sámi was tested in a small subset of participants.



    Results: Sámi language use has dropped considerably over the past three generations. Only a small proportion of Sámi are highly fluent and use a Sámi language with their children (around 4% in Sweden and 11% in Norway). One fifth of Sámi adults use a Sámi language at least ‘occasionally’, and use is most common in the home context. Sámi language knowledge remains negligible in the majority population.



    Discussion: The higher levels of language use and proficiency in Norway seem at least in part to reflect the more favourable policies adopted there. In both countries, more work is needed to increase speaker numbers, also in the majority population.

  • (2023): Class differences in homeownership and mortgage debt burden across cohorts : the Israeli case International Journal of Housing Policy. Taylor & Francis. 2023, 23(3), pp. 464-500. ISSN 1461-6718. eISSN 1473-3269. Available under: doi: 10.1080/19491247.2021.1930504

    Class differences in homeownership and mortgage debt burden across cohorts : the Israeli case

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    This study investigates class inequality in homeownership and the mortgage debt burden of young adults (aged 25–35) in Israel, from the present cohort and from the 1980s. These two time points reflect the shift from a social-welfare system to a neoliberal regime. Data was drawn from the Household Expenditure Survey for the periods 1975 and 1980, as well as 2012–2013 (Israel CBS). The findings reveal that while gaps between the probability of mortgaged homeownership and outright ownership have remained remarkably stable for the low-income and middle-income classes, the high-income class has substantially improved its probability of mortgaged homeownership and decreased its probability of non-homeownership. Furthermore, the middle class has the highest mortgage debt burden. However, in late young adulthood (ages 30–40), the low class is saddled with a higher mortgage debt burden relative to income than the middle class, residing in locations with lower socio-economic status. Moreover, the high class has a higher mortgage debt burden than the middle class, when residing in areas with higher socio-economic status. This practice increases the latter’s wealth prospects and shows the financial burden imposed upon the low class in order for its members to have ‘a roof over their head’.

  • Bianchi, Federico; Piolatto, Matteo; Marengoni, Alessandra; Squazzoni, Flaminio (2023): Structure of personal networks and cognitive abilities : A study on a sample of Italian older adults Social Networks. Elsevier. 2023, 74, pp. 71-77. ISSN 0378-8733. eISSN 1879-2111. Available under: doi: 10.1016/j.socnet.2023.02.005

    Structure of personal networks and cognitive abilities : A study on a sample of Italian older adults

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    Research in social gerontology has suggested that structural complexity of personal networks could moderate cognitive decline of older adults. In line with the environmental complexity hypothesis, their cognitive functioning would benefit from a high number of cohesive subgroups in their own personal networks, i.e., various social foci, thanks to higher cognitive stimuli from various social interactions. Yet, past studies considered only compositional diversity of networks due to lack of data on alter–alter ties. To fill this gap, we collected survey ego-network data on frequent social contacts (including alter–alter ties) and cognitive functioning on a sample of individuals aged 75 in Brescia, Italy (N = 230). As a proxy for social foci, we detected cohesive subgroups within each respondent’s personal networks. Results showed a positive association between the number of cohesive subgroups and cognitive functioning, regardless of the network size, while controlling for relevant socio-demographic attributes and depression symptoms. Our findings testify to the importance of granular network data in studying the link between social relationships and cognitive functioning.

  • Die Studierendenbefragung in Deutschland : Fokusanalysen zur Attraktivität von Masterstudiengängen

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    Bisherigen Forschungsergebnissen zufolge hat Deutschland im internationalen Vergleich hohe direkte Übergangsquoten in ein Masterstudium (Neugebauer et al., 2016). Gleichzeitig blieben 2019/20 aber 16 % der Masterstudienplätze an Universitäten und 11 % an HAW unbesetzt (Fabian, 2021; KMK, 2020). Somit gibt es durchaus noch ungenutzte Kapazitäten für (Master-)Studierende im Hochschulsystem und es ist für die Öffentlichkeit, Politik und Wissenschaft gleichermaßen von hohem Interesse, welchen Entscheidungslogiken Studierende bei diesem Übergangsprozess folgen. In diesem DZHW Brief werden, nach einer Darstellung des bisherigen Forschungsstandes zum Übergang ins Masterstudium, Fokusanalysen berichtet, die auf der Grundlage von Ergebnissen der Befragung „Die Studierendenbefragung in Deutschland“ einige offene Fragen klären sollen.

  • (2023): Financing the welfare state in times of extreme crisis : public support for health care spending during the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany Journal of European Public Policy. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. 2023, 30(1), pp. 21-40. ISSN 1350-1763. eISSN 1466-4429. Available under: doi: 10.1080/13501763.2021.1977375

    Financing the welfare state in times of extreme crisis : public support for health care spending during the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany

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    Employing new and original survey data collected in three waves (April/May and November 2020 as well as May 2021) in Germany, this paper studies the dynamics of individual-level support for additional health care spending. A first major finding is that, so far, health care spending preferences have not radically changed during the Covid-19 pandemic, at least at the aggregate level. A more detailed analysis reveals, secondly, that individual-level support for additional spending on health care is strongly conditioned by performance perceptions and, to a lesser extent, general political trust. Citizens who regard the system as badly (well) prepared to cope with the crisis are more likely to support (oppose) additional spending. Higher levels of political trust are also positively associated with spending support, but to a lesser degree. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for policy-making and welfare state politics in the post-pandemic era.

  • Eingetrübte Aussichten : Das Konstanzer Ungleichheitsbarometer belegt die Wahrnehmung zunehmender Ungleichheit

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    Die Daten der neuen Erhebungswelle des Konstanzer Ungleichheitsbarometers zeigen, dass die Menschen in Deutschland eine weithin zunehmende Ungleichheit von Einkommen und Vermögen wahrnehmen – nicht zuletzt weil die Befragten kaum unterscheiden zwischen der Einkommensungleicheit und der in Realität noch größeren Vermögensungleichheit. Gleichzeitig wird das Ausmaß der Ungleichheit weiterhin in gewisser Hinsicht unterschätzt. Die Zukunftsaussichten


    für die jüngere Generation beurteilen viele eher negativ, vor allen Dingen die Anhängerschaft der AfD. Weniger pessimistisch sind Anhänger*innen von CDU/CSU und FDP.

  • (2023): Educational achievement disparities between second-generation and non-immigrant students : Do school characteristics account for tracking effects? European Educational Research Journal. Sage. 2023, 22(3), pp. 297-324. ISSN 2382-1205. eISSN 1474-9041. Available under: doi: 10.1177/14749041211039929

    Educational achievement disparities between second-generation and non-immigrant students : Do school characteristics account for tracking effects?

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    The present article investigates the relationship between the degree of tracking and inequalities in reading literacy of second-generation and non-immigrant students in 28 Western countries. The article takes into account that next to between-school tracking, there are also more subtle forms of tracking, such as tracking within schools or classes. By elaborating how the distinct mechanisms of different tracking characteristics generate achievement inequalities, I assume that any negative effects of tracking on second-generation immigrant students’ achievements are primarily driven by differences in the quality of school environments. Data from the Programme for International Student Assessment 2018 are used and multilevel regression analysis with country-fixed effects are applied. The findings reveal that a higher tracking degree is related to substantial disadvantages in reading literacy for immigrant children. Furthermore, a higher immigrant concentration in schools is associated with immigrant inequalities in reading performance as the degree of tracking increases, whereas unequal distributions of teacher and instructional quality were found to generate inequalities in countries with less tracking. Even though the results are only partly in line with the theory of tracking influences on immigrant achievement disadvantages, they suggest that the interplay between institutional tracking and school characteristics are crucial for learning inequalities.

  • Hornung, Erik; Schwerdt, Guido; Strazzeri, Maurizio (2023): Religious practice and student performance : evidence from Ramadan fasting Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. Elsevier. 2023, 205, pp. 100-119. ISSN 0167-2681. eISSN 1879-1751. Available under: doi: 10.1016/j.jebo.2022.10.025

    Religious practice and student performance : evidence from Ramadan fasting

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    We investigate how the intensity of Ramadan affects educational outcomes by exploiting spatio-temporal variation in annual fasting hours. Longer fasting hours are related to increases in student performance in a panel of TIMSS test scores (1995–2019) across Muslim countries but not other countries. Results are confirmed in a panel of PISA test scores (2003–2018) allowing within country-wave comparisons of Muslim to non-Muslim students across Europe. We provide evidence that a demanding Ramadan affects PISA test scores of Muslim students only in cohorts with a large share of co-religionists. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that shared experiences during more intensive Ramadans facilitate the formation of social capital and a social identity conducive to learning outcomes.

  • Hanushek, Eric A.; Jacobs, Babs; Schwerdt, Guido; van der Velden, Rolf; Vermeulen, Stan; Wiederhold, Simon (2023): Where Do STEM Graduates Stem From? : The Intergenerational Transmission of Comparative Skill Advantages

    Where Do STEM Graduates Stem From? : The Intergenerational Transmission of Comparative Skill Advantages

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    The standard economic model of occupational choice following a basic Roy model emphasizes individual selection and comparative advantage, but the sources of comparative advantage are not well understood. We employ a unique combination of Dutch survey and registry data that links math and language skills across generations and permits analysis of the intergenerational transmission of comparative skill advantages. Exploiting within-family between-subject variation in skills, we show that comparative advantages in math of parents are significantly linked to those of their children. A causal interpretation follows from a novel IV estimation that isolates variation in parent skill advantages due to their teacher and classroom peer quality. Finally, we show the strong influence of family skill transmission on children’s choices of STEM fields.

  • Klingert, Sonja; Niederkofler, Michael; de Meer, Hermann; Bielig, Mona; Gagin, Stepan; Kacperski, Celina; Strobbe, Matthias (2023): The Best of both Worlds : Social and Technical Challenges of Creating Energy Islands KLEIN, Cornel, ed., Matthias JARKE, ed.. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Smart Cities and Green ICT Systems. Setúbal, Portugal: SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, 2023, pp. 129-136. ISSN 2184-4968. ISBN 978-989-758-651-4. Available under: doi: 10.5220/0011974600003491

    The Best of both Worlds : Social and Technical Challenges of Creating Energy Islands

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    Creating so-called “energy islands” with a high level of energetic self-sufficiency is one strategy to fight climate crisis. To become a realistic goal, such a concept needs trans-disciplinary research that defines promising transformation paths towards reaching this vision. The presented paper introduces a conceptual framework that provides approaches for technical optimization across all energy vectors, socio-technical optimization of the usage of energy demand flexibility, socio-psychological interventions, and a replication strategy that considers all these different aspects. The focus lies on the architecture of a management system that answers requirements also from social sciences, on engagement strategies and on defining a cross-vector, cross-disciplinary design for flexibility in terms of demand-response schemes.

  • Villa Braslavsky, Paula-Irene (Hrsg.) (2023): Wo Differenzierung ist, wächst das Verbindende auch? : Polarisierung und Integration der Weltgesellschaft VILLA BRASLAVSKY, Paula-Irene, ed.. Polarisierte Welten : Verhandlungen des 41. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie 2022. Essen: DGS, 2023

    Wo Differenzierung ist, wächst das Verbindende auch? : Polarisierung und Integration der Weltgesellschaft

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  • (2022): Nützliche Radikale Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. 4. Dez. 2022, No. 48, pp. 56

    Nützliche Radikale

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  • Summers, Kate; Accominotti, Fabien; Burchardt, Tania; Hecht, Katharina; Mann, Elizabeth; Mijs, Jonathan (2022): Deliberating Inequality : A Blueprint for Studying the Social Formation of Beliefs about Economic Inequality Social Justice Research. Springer. 2022, 35(4), pp. 379-400. ISSN 0885-7466. eISSN 1573-6725. Available under: doi: 10.1007/s11211-022-00389-0

    Deliberating Inequality : A Blueprint for Studying the Social Formation of Beliefs about Economic Inequality

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    In most contemporary societies, people underestimate the extent of economic inequality, resulting in lower support for taxation and redistribution than might be expressed by better informed citizens. We still know little, however, about how understandings of inequality arise, and therefore about where perceptions and misperceptions of it might come from. This methodological article takes one step toward filling this gap by developing a research design-a blueprint-to study how people's understandings of wealth and income inequality develop through social interaction. Our approach combines insights from recent scholarship highlighting the socially situated character of inequality beliefs with those of survey experimental work testing how information about inequality changes people's understandings of it. Specifically, we propose to use deliberative focus groups to approximate the interactional contexts in which individuals process information and form beliefs in social life. Leveraging an experimental methodology, our design then varies the social makeup of deliberative groups, as well as the information about inequality we share with participants, to explore how different types of social environments and information shape people's understandings of economic inequality. This should let us test, in particular, whether the low socioeconomic diversity of people's discussion and interaction networks relates to their tendency to underestimate inequality, and whether beliefs about opportunity explain people's lack of appetite for redistributive policies. In this exploratory article we motivate our methodological apparatus and describe its key features, before reflecting on the findings from a proof-of-concept study conducted in London in the fall of 2019.

  • (2022): Opium des Volkes Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. 13. Nov. 2022, No. 45, pp. 64

    Opium des Volkes

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  • Breznau, Nate; Rinke, Eike Mark; Wuttke, Alexander; Baute, Sharon; Hellmeier, Sebastian; Hunkler, Christian; Lersch, Philipp M.; Lutscher, Philipp; Mader, Matthias; Seuring, Julian; Wehl, Nadja (2022): Observing many researchers using the same data and hypothesis reveals a hidden universe of uncertainty Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). National Academy of Sciences. 2022, 119(44), e2203150119. ISSN 0027-8424. eISSN 1091-6490. Available under: doi: 10.1073/pnas.2203150119

    Observing many researchers using the same data and hypothesis reveals a hidden universe of uncertainty

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    This study explores how researchers' analytical choices affect the reliability of scientific findings. Most discussions of reliability problems in science focus on systematic biases. We broaden the lens to emphasize the idiosyncrasy of conscious and unconscious decisions that researchers make during data analysis. We coordinated 161 researchers in 73 research teams and observed their research decisions as they used the same data to independently test the same prominent social science hypothesis: that greater immigration reduces support for social policies among the public. In this typical case of social science research, research teams reported both widely diverging numerical findings and substantive conclusions despite identical start conditions. Researchers' expertise, prior beliefs, and expectations barely predict the wide variation in research outcomes. More than 95% of the total variance in numerical results remains unexplained even after qualitative coding of all identifiable decisions in each team's workflow. This reveals a universe of uncertainty that remains hidden when considering a single study in isolation. The idiosyncratic nature of how researchers' results and conclusions varied is a previously underappreciated explanation for why many scientific hypotheses remain contested. These results call for greater epistemic humility and clarity in reporting scientific findings.

  • (2022): Gut sortierte Gegnerschaft Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. 23. Okt. 2022, No. 42, pp. 60

    Gut sortierte Gegnerschaft

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