Publications of the Research Unit Labour Markets and Social Insurance

  1. Refereed Journal // 2025

    The Benefits of Early Work Experience for School Dropouts: Evidence From a Field Experiment

    This paper focuses on the question of whether job-related work experience, especially in tight occupations, is sufficient to increase the employment opportunities of school dropouts in comparison with graduates.…

  2. Refereed Journal // 2025

    Civil Rights Protests and Election Outcomes: Exploring the Effects of the Poor People’s Campaign

    The Poor People's Campaign (PPC) of 1968 was focused on highlighting, and ultimately reducing, poverty in the United States. As part of the campaign, protestors from across the country were transported to…

  3. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-005 // 2025

    Organized Labor Versus Robots? Evidence From Microdata

    New technologies drive productivity growth, yet the distribution of gains may be unequal. We study how labor market institutions – specifically shop-floor worker representation – mediate the impact of…

  4. Refereed Journal // 2025

    Passing on the Flame: Do Mega Sports Events Promote Health Behaviours?

    To justify billion-dollar public expenditures on mega sports events, proponents often suggest lasting improvements in health behaviours among the general public. To estimate the returns to health behaviours from…

  5. Refereed Journal // 2025

    Mandated Sick Pay: Coverage, Utilization, and Crowding-In Effects

    Using the National Compensation Survey from 2009 to 2022 and difference-in-differences methods, we find that state-level sick pay mandates are effective in broadening access for U.S. workers. Increases in…

  6. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-008 // 2025

    Labor Market Integration of Asylum Seekers in Europe: Recent Trends and Barriers

    The labor market integration of asylum seekers remains a contested issue. Using the EU-Labor-Force-Survey, we characterize the state of asylum seekers’ labor market integration in Europe, and provide…

  7. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-002 // 2025

    Gritty Peers

    We use the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to explore how high school peers’ grit, a personality trait characterized by perseverance and passion, influences long-term outcomes…

  8. Refereed Journal // 2025

    Dynamic Responses to Smoking Bans: Evidence from Young Adults in a Developing Country

    Smoking bans have been widely implemented, despite mixed evidence on their effectiveness in reducing smoking prevalence. This paper provides novel insights into the dynamic impacts of smoking bans in the context…

  9. Refereed Journal // 2025

    Reversing fortunes of German regions, 1926–2019: Boon and bane of early industrialization?

    This paper shows that nineteenth-century industrialization is an essential determinant of the pronounced changes in economic prosperity across German regions over the last 100 years. Using novel data on economic…