Publications of the Research Unit Labour Markets and Social Insurance

  1. Refereed Journal // forthcoming

    investigating the analytical robustness of the social and behavioural sciences

    The same dataset can be analysed in different justifiable ways to answer the same research question, potentially challenging the robustness of empirical science1–3. In this crowd initiative, we investigated the…

  2. Refereed Journal // forthcoming

    The Anatomy of U.S. Sick Leave Schemes: Evidence from Public School Teachers

    We study how public school teachers use paid sick leave. Most U.S. sick leave schemes operate as individualized credit accounts – paid leave is earned and unused leave accumulates, producing an employee-specific…

  3. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 26-006 // 2026

    Fundamentally Reforming the DI System: Evidence From Germany

    In 2001, Germany abolished public occupational disability insurance (ODI)—the second tier of its public DI system—for cohorts born after 1960. Using administrative data, we first document that, in the long run,…

  4. ZEW policy brief No. 26-01 // 2026

    Eine Agenda 2035

    Aufgrund des demografischen Wandels und stark steigender Sozialversicherungsbeiträge skizziert dieser Policy Brief eine mögliche „Agenda 2035“ zur nachhaltigen Finanzierung der deutschen…

  5. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 26-001 // 2026

    Low Barriers, High Stakes: Formal and Informal Diffusion of AI in the Workplace

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is diffusing rapidly in the workplace, yet aggregate productivity gains remain limited. This paper examines the dual diffusion of AI – through both formal, employer-led and informal,…

  6. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 26-003 // 2026

    Minimum Wages and Provision of Training

    We find a substantial and long-lasting positive effect of the introduction of regional minimum wages on training incidence and intensity. We apply a stacked difference-in-differences estimation to identify the…