Publications of the Research Unit Labour Markets and Social Insurance

  1. 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,…

  2. 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…

  3. 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,…

  4. 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…

  5. ZEW policy brief No. 25-10 // 2025

    Rethinking Tracking: Lessons from Hungary for German Education Reform

    Educational tracking – separating students into different classes, tracks, or schools based on ability – is relatively commonplace worldwide, despite mixed evidence concerning how it affects student outcomes.…

  6. Discussion and Working Paper // 2025

    Creative Financing and Public Moral Hazard: Evidence from Medicaid and the Nursing Home Industry

    This paper studies the misallocation of Medicaid funds, its consequences for reimbursement rates, the quantity, and the quality of care provided. Combining two decades of administrative, audit, and survey data…

  7. Refereed Journal // 2025

    Intergenerational mobility in Latin America: The multiple facets of social status and the role of mothers

    We assess intergenerational mobility in terms of education and income rank in five Latin American countries—Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and Panama—by accounting for the education and occupation of both…