Wie das Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung Halle (IWH) in einer heute veröffentlichten Analyse feststellt, stieg die Zahl der Insolvenzen von Personen- und Kapitalgesellschaften in Deutschland im Juni erneut an. Im zweiten Quartal 2026 gab es so viele Firmenpleiten wie seit 21 Jahren nicht mehr. Der Anstieg erfasst nahezu alle großen Branchen.
Das Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung Halle (IWH) soll in Zukunft weiterhin von Bund und Ländern gefördert werden. Zu diesem Ergebnis ist der Senat der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft in seiner jüngsten Sitzung gekommen. Das Gremium würdigte zum Abschluss der Evaluierung des IWH dessen Leistungen in Forschung und Politikberatung als sehr gut.
Der Nahost-Krieg bremst die wirtschaftliche Erholung in Sachsen-Anhalt. Dennoch ist die Stimmungslage der mittelständischen Unternehmen besser als vor einem Jahr. Das zeigt eine gemeinsame Umfrage von Creditreform und dem Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung Halle (IWH), an der rund 400 Unternehmen aus Sachsen-Anhalt teilgenommen haben.
Until the outbreak of the energy crisis, the German economy was on a path to recovery. Now the recovery will only continue over the course of 2026 if the Gulf conflict eases and energy prices do not rise further. This assumption underlies the present summer forecast of the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH). In that case, German output is expected to increase by 0.9% for this year and for 2027. Growth rates in East Germany will be similar. In March, the IWH economists had predicted growth of 0.7% for 2026 and 1% for the next year.
Until the outbreak of the energy crisis, the German economy was on a path to recovery. Now the recovery will only continue over the course of 2026 if the Gulf conflict eases and energy prices do not rise further. In that case, German output is expected to increase by 0.9% for this year and for 2027.
This figure shows the different pillars that form the basis of the new regulatory framework in Europe. The Single Rulebook applies to all 28 member states. The three pillars of the European Banking Union are obligatory for Euro Area countries and voluntary for the remaining EU member states. Source: Koetter, Michael; Krause, Thomas; Tonzer, Lena (2017): Delay determinants of European Banking Union implementation. IWH Discussion Papers 24/2017, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
The graph shows the percentage share of firms that have been classified as zombies in a given year and country. Zombie firms are firms, that for at least two consecutive years have negative returns, negative investment, and debt servicing capacity (EBITDA/ financial debt) below 5 %. Source: Koetter, Michael; Setzer, Ralph; Storz, Manuela; Westphal, Andreas (2017): Do we want these two to tango? On zombie firms and stressed banks in Europe. IWH Discussion Papers 13/2017, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
EU: European Commission, Economic Forecast, November 2017; IMF: World Economic Outlook, October 2017, ECB: December 2017 staff macroeconomic projections. OECD: Economic Outlook, November 2017; Consensus: Consensus Economics, Consensus Forecasts, December 2017. Source: EFN-European Forecasting Network (2017): EFN Report: Economic Outlook for the Euro Area in 2018 and 2019.
This figure (a) shows headline inflation rates in the Euro area and in ten member countries of the European Monetary Union (EMU). The possible inflation drivers may all have contributed to the low inflation rate in recent years. The series of survey- and market-based inflation expectations were obtained from Consensus Economics, Thomson Reuters and own calculations. For the remaining data sources it is referred to the data and estimation section. Source: Dany-Knedlik, Geraldine; Holtemöller, Oliver (2017): Inflation dynamics during the financial crisis in Europe: Cross-sectional identification of long-run inflation expectations. IWH Discussion Papers 10/2017, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
This figure (b) shows unemployment rates in the Euro area and in ten member countries of the European Monetary Union (EMU). The possible inflation drivers may all have contributed to the low inflation rate in recent years. The series of survey- and market-based inflation expectations were obtained from Consensus Economics, Thomson Reuters and own calculations. For the remaining data sources it is referred to the data and estimation section. Source: Dany-Knedlik, Geraldine; Holtemöller, Oliver (2017): Inflation dynamics during the financial crisis in Europe: Cross-sectional identification of long-run inflation expectations. IWH Discussion Papers 10/2017, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
This figure shows the payments of the bank levy (in million euros) by German banks for the years 2011-2015, broken down by banking group. During the years 2011-2014, banks had to contribute to the national restructuring fund as specified in the Restructuring Fund Act. In 2015, banks contributions were for the first time calculated as specified in the Banking Resolution and Restructuring Directive. Source of Figure: Deutscher Bundestag Drucksache 18/5993, BB8/5993he 18 5 December 2015. Source: Buch, Claudia; Tonzer, Lena; Weigert, Benjamin (2017): Assessing the effects of regulatory bank levies. VOX CEPR's Policy Portal: Research-based policy analysis and commentary from leading economists.
This figure shows the development of aggregated foreign funding for Brazilian banks between January 2007 and December 2010. The vertical line is set at September 2008, the month when the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered a freeze in global interbank markets. Foreign funding is aggregated from the bank-level data in the baseline sample. The variable is reported in real 2013 US$ millions. Source: Noth, Felix; Ossandon Busch, Matias (2017): Banking globalization, local lending, and labor market effects: Micro-level evidence from Brazil. IWH Discussion Papers 7/2017, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
The unemployment rate of EU nationals in most countries is slightly higher than that of domestic nationals; these rates are almost perfectly correlated for all member states. As the figure displays, the unemployment rate of citizens from non-EU member states is significantly higher than that of domestic nationals in almost all countries; the dispersion of the rates is also significantly greater. Source: Altemeyer-Bartscher, Martin; Holtemöller, Oliver; Lindner, Axel; Schmalzbauer, Andreas; Zeddies, Götz (2016): On the Distribution of Refugees in the EU. In: Intereconomics, Volume 51, July/August 2016, Number 4, pp. 220-228.
In fact, there is a positive correlation between the number of applications for asylum in recent years and the difference in the unemployment rates of domestic nationals and of citizens from non-EU member states (as shown in the figure at hand). This indicates that the marginal costs of integrating refugees do indeed increase as the number of refugees grows. Source: Altemeyer-Bartscher, Martin; Holtemöller, Oliver; Lindner, Axel; Schmalzbauer, Andreas; Zeddies, Götz (2016): On the Distribution of Refugees in the EU. In: Intereconomics, Volume 51, July/August 2016, Number 4, pp. 220-228.
Large differences between nationals and foreigners from non-EU countries can also be observed when it comes to the employment rate. In most countries, the employment rate is considerably lower for non-EU citizens than for domestic nationals; this is the case especially for women, but it applies to men as well. While the employment rate of male non-EU foreigners increases at least somewhat with the employment rate of male domestic nationals, the employment rate of female non-EU foreigners is largely disconnected from the domestic rate (see figure above). Source: Altemeyer-Bartscher, Martin; Holtemöller, Oliver; Lindner, Axel; Schmalzbauer, Andreas; Zeddies, Götz (2016): On the Distribution of Refugees in the EU. In: Intereconomics, Volume 51, July/August 2016, Number 4, pp. 220-228.
The figure demonstrates that the average number of responses differs between the three treatment groups "Original Meaning", "No Meaning" and "Alternative Meaning". It shows the average work performance of workers fulfilling the same task with the same reward but with different information about the usefulness or meaning of their work done before. Since some workers did not respond at first and only participated in the experiment as latecomers after they were sent further invitations, these were considered as a special group. Therefore, two different groups were created "Immediate" and "Pooled" and were considered separately. In essence, the additional "Pooled" group consists of latecomers grouped together with the employees that immediately participated in the experiment. Source: Chadi, Adrian; Jeworrek, Sabrina; Mertins, Vanessa (2016): When the Meaning of Work Has Disappeared: Experimental Evidence on Employees’ Performance and Emotions. Management Science 63(6): 1696-1707.
in: Journal of European Public Policy, forthcoming
How does immigration affect support for redistribution? While most research focuses on overall tax and spending levels, we investigate how immigration influences preferences conditional on tax structures. Using two original survey experiments in the UK, we find that low- and middle-income respondents are more likely to support redistribution to immigrants under progressive systems shielding them from fiscal costs, but oppose redistribution when immigrants are identified as beneficiaries and the tax structure increases their fiscal burden. In contrast, high-income respondents' preferences are largely unaffected by either tax structure or immigrant inclusion. These findings suggest that progressive taxation (1) is a viable revenue-generating strategy without provoking major political backlash; (2) reduces native resistance to immigrant welfare inclusion; (3) helps explain puzzling variation in immigration's effects on welfare attitudes; and (4) clarifies why low- and middle-income groups sometimes reject generous welfare programs despite standing to benefit. Our results highlight the importance of institutional design in shaping how economic self-interest and immigration concerns interact.
in: Nature Human Behaviour, forthcoming
Socioeconomic inequalities shape who accesses early childcare, even in countries that claim universal provision. This entrenched inequality limits child development, women’s employment and gender equality — but governments have clear tools to close the gap.
in: Business Ethics, the Environment and Responsibility, forthcoming
This study examines why people engage in unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) by focusing on an overlooked mechanism: the mere fact of being a subordinate at the workplace. To establish a causal relationship, we conducted an online experiment with 615 full-time employees. We primed participants with private versus work-related contexts before instructing them to follow a rule that was beneficial for the organization but potentially unethical. We find that individuals high in power distance orientation engage to a greater extent in UPB after being primed on their work-related identity. Our results further emphasize that empowering leadership can mitigate this effect: For participants high in power distance, empowering messages eliminated the priming effect; their UPB levels matched those in the private control group. Thus, our study makes three key contributions: First, we add to the discussion of UPB antecedents. Second, we identify organizations that may be particularly vulnerable. Third, we point to strategies that could reduce UPB.
in: Journal of Financial Economics, forthcoming
Do economic incentives govern information diffusion in markets? Using international banks’ advisory activities in corporate takeovers as their source of private information, we show in supervisory data that banks with closer ties to the target, but not the acquirer, advisor trade profitably in the target’s stock prior to the deal announcement. This trading behavior is associated with a higher premium paid by the acquirer without compromising the deal success. As the incentives of informed traders are aligned only with those of the target shareholders, which are represented by the target advisor, our evidence suggests strategic information transmission among these banks.
in: Review of Finance, forthcoming
We study the interaction of expansionary rate-based monetary policy and quantitative easing, despite their concurrent implementation, by exploiting heterogeneous banks and the introduction of negative monetary-policy rates in a fragmented euro area. Quantitative easing increases credit supply less, translating into weaker employment growth, when banks’ funding costs do not decrease. Using administrative data from Germany, we uncover that among banks selling their securities, central-bank reserves remain disproportionately with high-deposit banks that are constrained due to sticky customer deposits at the zero lower bound. Affected German banks lend relatively less to firms while increasing their interbank exposure in the euro area.
in: Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, forthcoming
Exploiting the heteroskedasticity of the changes in short-term and long-term interest rates and exchange rates around the FOMC announcement, we identify three structural monetary policy shocks. We eliminate the predictable part of the shocks and study their effects on financial variables and macro variables. The first shock resembles a conventional monetary policy shock, and the second resembles an unconventional monetary shock. The third shock leads to an increase in interest rates, stock prices, industrial production, consumer prices, and commodity prices. At the same time, the excess bond premium and uncertainty decrease, and the U.S. dollar depreciates. Therefore, this third shock combines all the characteristics of a central bank information shock.
in: Journal of Human Resources, forthcoming
It is widely believed that female students perform better when taught by female professors. However, little is known about the mechanisms explaining these gender match effects. Using administrative records from a German public university, which cover all programs and courses between 2006 and 2018, we show that gender match effects are sizable in smaller classes, but are absent in larger classes. These results suggest that direct and frequent interactions between students and professors are crucial for gender match effects to emerge. In contrast, the mere fact that one’s professor is female is not sufficient to increase performance of female students.
in: Scandinavian Journal of Management, forthcoming
Intergenerational justice is a core principle of sustainability, yet empirical metrics on the impact of business on future generations remain scarce. Moreover, evidence suggests that different ESG scores capture distinct dimensions of corporate responsibility, highlighting the need for more targeted assessments. This study examines the relationship between corporate engagement with children’s rights and financial performance using a dataset of 1672 firm-year observations, combining a novel children’s rights benchmark with Refinitiv’s financial and sustainability metrics. Results indicate a negative association between marketplace ratings, assessing firms’ child welfare considerations in marketing, and accounting-based profitability, even when controlling for ESG subscores. However, no similar relationship emerges in stock market performance. These findings highlight potential tensions between corporate responsibility and short-term financial outcomes, emphasizing the role of regulatory frameworks and stakeholder engagement in balancing financial and social objectives.
in: Journal of the European Economic Association, forthcoming
More individualistic countries experience higher economic growth. We provide evidence for a human-capital-based explanation of the growth effects of individualism. Using data from the largest international adult skill assessment, we establish that individualism shapes human capital formation. We identify the effects of individualism by exploiting variation between migrants at the origin-country, origin-language, and person level. Migrants from more individualistic cultures have higher cognitive skills and larger skill gains over time. They also invest more in their skills over the life cycle, as they acquire more years of schooling and are more likely to participate in adult education activities. Individualism is more important in explaining adult skill formation than any other cultural trait that previous literature has emphasized. In the labor market, more individualistic migrants earn higher wages and are less often unemployed. We show that our results cannot be explained by selective migration or omitted origin-country variables.
in: Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, forthcoming
This article shows that when a compensation peer firm experiences a significant failure in its say-on-pay (SOP) voting, the focal firm’s stock price is adversely affected, resulting in reduced CEO pay in the subsequent period. This pay-reduction effect is amplified when the board is more powerful, when proxy advisors express concerns about CEO pay, and when the compensation consultant lacks quality. Directors who react to the price drop and cut the CEO’s pay receive higher votes in future director elections, implying a market feedback effect for directors of the focal firm triggered by their peers’ SOP voting failure.
in: Journal of European Public Policy, forthcoming
How does immigration affect support for redistribution? While most research focuses on overall tax and spending levels, we investigate how immigration influences preferences conditional on tax structures. Using two original survey experiments in the UK, we find that low- and middle-income respondents are more likely to support redistribution to immigrants under progressive systems shielding them from fiscal costs, but oppose redistribution when immigrants are identified as beneficiaries and the tax structure increases their fiscal burden. In contrast, high-income respondents' preferences are largely unaffected by either tax structure or immigrant inclusion. These findings suggest that progressive taxation (1) is a viable revenue-generating strategy without provoking major political backlash; (2) reduces native resistance to immigrant welfare inclusion; (3) helps explain puzzling variation in immigration's effects on welfare attitudes; and (4) clarifies why low- and middle-income groups sometimes reject generous welfare programs despite standing to benefit. Our results highlight the importance of institutional design in shaping how economic self-interest and immigration concerns interact.
in: Nature Human Behaviour, forthcoming
Socioeconomic inequalities shape who accesses early childcare, even in countries that claim universal provision. This entrenched inequality limits child development, women’s employment and gender equality — but governments have clear tools to close the gap.
in: Business Ethics, the Environment and Responsibility, forthcoming
This study examines why people engage in unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) by focusing on an overlooked mechanism: the mere fact of being a subordinate at the workplace. To establish a causal relationship, we conducted an online experiment with 615 full-time employees. We primed participants with private versus work-related contexts before instructing them to follow a rule that was beneficial for the organization but potentially unethical. We find that individuals high in power distance orientation engage to a greater extent in UPB after being primed on their work-related identity. Our results further emphasize that empowering leadership can mitigate this effect: For participants high in power distance, empowering messages eliminated the priming effect; their UPB levels matched those in the private control group. Thus, our study makes three key contributions: First, we add to the discussion of UPB antecedents. Second, we identify organizations that may be particularly vulnerable. Third, we point to strategies that could reduce UPB.
in: Journal of Financial Economics, forthcoming
Do economic incentives govern information diffusion in markets? Using international banks’ advisory activities in corporate takeovers as their source of private information, we show in supervisory data that banks with closer ties to the target, but not the acquirer, advisor trade profitably in the target’s stock prior to the deal announcement. This trading behavior is associated with a higher premium paid by the acquirer without compromising the deal success. As the incentives of informed traders are aligned only with those of the target shareholders, which are represented by the target advisor, our evidence suggests strategic information transmission among these banks.
in: Review of Finance, forthcoming
We study the interaction of expansionary rate-based monetary policy and quantitative easing, despite their concurrent implementation, by exploiting heterogeneous banks and the introduction of negative monetary-policy rates in a fragmented euro area. Quantitative easing increases credit supply less, translating into weaker employment growth, when banks’ funding costs do not decrease. Using administrative data from Germany, we uncover that among banks selling their securities, central-bank reserves remain disproportionately with high-deposit banks that are constrained due to sticky customer deposits at the zero lower bound. Affected German banks lend relatively less to firms while increasing their interbank exposure in the euro area.
in: Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, forthcoming
Exploiting the heteroskedasticity of the changes in short-term and long-term interest rates and exchange rates around the FOMC announcement, we identify three structural monetary policy shocks. We eliminate the predictable part of the shocks and study their effects on financial variables and macro variables. The first shock resembles a conventional monetary policy shock, and the second resembles an unconventional monetary shock. The third shock leads to an increase in interest rates, stock prices, industrial production, consumer prices, and commodity prices. At the same time, the excess bond premium and uncertainty decrease, and the U.S. dollar depreciates. Therefore, this third shock combines all the characteristics of a central bank information shock.
in: Journal of Human Resources, forthcoming
It is widely believed that female students perform better when taught by female professors. However, little is known about the mechanisms explaining these gender match effects. Using administrative records from a German public university, which cover all programs and courses between 2006 and 2018, we show that gender match effects are sizable in smaller classes, but are absent in larger classes. These results suggest that direct and frequent interactions between students and professors are crucial for gender match effects to emerge. In contrast, the mere fact that one’s professor is female is not sufficient to increase performance of female students.
in: Scandinavian Journal of Management, forthcoming
Intergenerational justice is a core principle of sustainability, yet empirical metrics on the impact of business on future generations remain scarce. Moreover, evidence suggests that different ESG scores capture distinct dimensions of corporate responsibility, highlighting the need for more targeted assessments. This study examines the relationship between corporate engagement with children’s rights and financial performance using a dataset of 1672 firm-year observations, combining a novel children’s rights benchmark with Refinitiv’s financial and sustainability metrics. Results indicate a negative association between marketplace ratings, assessing firms’ child welfare considerations in marketing, and accounting-based profitability, even when controlling for ESG subscores. However, no similar relationship emerges in stock market performance. These findings highlight potential tensions between corporate responsibility and short-term financial outcomes, emphasizing the role of regulatory frameworks and stakeholder engagement in balancing financial and social objectives.
in: Journal of the European Economic Association, forthcoming
More individualistic countries experience higher economic growth. We provide evidence for a human-capital-based explanation of the growth effects of individualism. Using data from the largest international adult skill assessment, we establish that individualism shapes human capital formation. We identify the effects of individualism by exploiting variation between migrants at the origin-country, origin-language, and person level. Migrants from more individualistic cultures have higher cognitive skills and larger skill gains over time. They also invest more in their skills over the life cycle, as they acquire more years of schooling and are more likely to participate in adult education activities. Individualism is more important in explaining adult skill formation than any other cultural trait that previous literature has emphasized. In the labor market, more individualistic migrants earn higher wages and are less often unemployed. We show that our results cannot be explained by selective migration or omitted origin-country variables.
in: Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, forthcoming
This article shows that when a compensation peer firm experiences a significant failure in its say-on-pay (SOP) voting, the focal firm’s stock price is adversely affected, resulting in reduced CEO pay in the subsequent period. This pay-reduction effect is amplified when the board is more powerful, when proxy advisors express concerns about CEO pay, and when the compensation consultant lacks quality. Directors who react to the price drop and cut the CEO’s pay receive higher votes in future director elections, implying a market feedback effect for directors of the focal firm triggered by their peers’ SOP voting failure.
Until the outbreak of the energy crisis, the German economy was on a path to recovery. Now the recovery will only continue over the course of 2026 if the Gulf conflict eases and energy prices do not rise further. In that case, German output is expected to increase by 0.9% for this year and for 2027.
This figure shows the different pillars that form the basis of the new regulatory framework in Europe. The Single Rulebook applies to all 28 member states. The three pillars of the European Banking Union are obligatory for Euro Area countries and voluntary for the remaining EU member states. Source: Koetter, Michael; Krause, Thomas; Tonzer, Lena (2017): Delay determinants of European Banking Union implementation. IWH Discussion Papers 24/2017, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
The graph shows the percentage share of firms that have been classified as zombies in a given year and country. Zombie firms are firms, that for at least two consecutive years have negative returns, negative investment, and debt servicing capacity (EBITDA/ financial debt) below 5 %. Source: Koetter, Michael; Setzer, Ralph; Storz, Manuela; Westphal, Andreas (2017): Do we want these two to tango? On zombie firms and stressed banks in Europe. IWH Discussion Papers 13/2017, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
EU: European Commission, Economic Forecast, November 2017; IMF: World Economic Outlook, October 2017, ECB: December 2017 staff macroeconomic projections. OECD: Economic Outlook, November 2017; Consensus: Consensus Economics, Consensus Forecasts, December 2017. Source: EFN-European Forecasting Network (2017): EFN Report: Economic Outlook for the Euro Area in 2018 and 2019.
This figure (a) shows headline inflation rates in the Euro area and in ten member countries of the European Monetary Union (EMU). The possible inflation drivers may all have contributed to the low inflation rate in recent years. The series of survey- and market-based inflation expectations were obtained from Consensus Economics, Thomson Reuters and own calculations. For the remaining data sources it is referred to the data and estimation section. Source: Dany-Knedlik, Geraldine; Holtemöller, Oliver (2017): Inflation dynamics during the financial crisis in Europe: Cross-sectional identification of long-run inflation expectations. IWH Discussion Papers 10/2017, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
This figure (b) shows unemployment rates in the Euro area and in ten member countries of the European Monetary Union (EMU). The possible inflation drivers may all have contributed to the low inflation rate in recent years. The series of survey- and market-based inflation expectations were obtained from Consensus Economics, Thomson Reuters and own calculations. For the remaining data sources it is referred to the data and estimation section. Source: Dany-Knedlik, Geraldine; Holtemöller, Oliver (2017): Inflation dynamics during the financial crisis in Europe: Cross-sectional identification of long-run inflation expectations. IWH Discussion Papers 10/2017, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
This figure shows the payments of the bank levy (in million euros) by German banks for the years 2011-2015, broken down by banking group. During the years 2011-2014, banks had to contribute to the national restructuring fund as specified in the Restructuring Fund Act. In 2015, banks contributions were for the first time calculated as specified in the Banking Resolution and Restructuring Directive. Source of Figure: Deutscher Bundestag Drucksache 18/5993, BB8/5993he 18 5 December 2015. Source: Buch, Claudia; Tonzer, Lena; Weigert, Benjamin (2017): Assessing the effects of regulatory bank levies. VOX CEPR's Policy Portal: Research-based policy analysis and commentary from leading economists.
This figure shows the development of aggregated foreign funding for Brazilian banks between January 2007 and December 2010. The vertical line is set at September 2008, the month when the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered a freeze in global interbank markets. Foreign funding is aggregated from the bank-level data in the baseline sample. The variable is reported in real 2013 US$ millions. Source: Noth, Felix; Ossandon Busch, Matias (2017): Banking globalization, local lending, and labor market effects: Micro-level evidence from Brazil. IWH Discussion Papers 7/2017, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
The unemployment rate of EU nationals in most countries is slightly higher than that of domestic nationals; these rates are almost perfectly correlated for all member states. As the figure displays, the unemployment rate of citizens from non-EU member states is significantly higher than that of domestic nationals in almost all countries; the dispersion of the rates is also significantly greater. Source: Altemeyer-Bartscher, Martin; Holtemöller, Oliver; Lindner, Axel; Schmalzbauer, Andreas; Zeddies, Götz (2016): On the Distribution of Refugees in the EU. In: Intereconomics, Volume 51, July/August 2016, Number 4, pp. 220-228.
In fact, there is a positive correlation between the number of applications for asylum in recent years and the difference in the unemployment rates of domestic nationals and of citizens from non-EU member states (as shown in the figure at hand). This indicates that the marginal costs of integrating refugees do indeed increase as the number of refugees grows. Source: Altemeyer-Bartscher, Martin; Holtemöller, Oliver; Lindner, Axel; Schmalzbauer, Andreas; Zeddies, Götz (2016): On the Distribution of Refugees in the EU. In: Intereconomics, Volume 51, July/August 2016, Number 4, pp. 220-228.
Large differences between nationals and foreigners from non-EU countries can also be observed when it comes to the employment rate. In most countries, the employment rate is considerably lower for non-EU citizens than for domestic nationals; this is the case especially for women, but it applies to men as well. While the employment rate of male non-EU foreigners increases at least somewhat with the employment rate of male domestic nationals, the employment rate of female non-EU foreigners is largely disconnected from the domestic rate (see figure above). Source: Altemeyer-Bartscher, Martin; Holtemöller, Oliver; Lindner, Axel; Schmalzbauer, Andreas; Zeddies, Götz (2016): On the Distribution of Refugees in the EU. In: Intereconomics, Volume 51, July/August 2016, Number 4, pp. 220-228.
The figure demonstrates that the average number of responses differs between the three treatment groups "Original Meaning", "No Meaning" and "Alternative Meaning". It shows the average work performance of workers fulfilling the same task with the same reward but with different information about the usefulness or meaning of their work done before. Since some workers did not respond at first and only participated in the experiment as latecomers after they were sent further invitations, these were considered as a special group. Therefore, two different groups were created "Immediate" and "Pooled" and were considered separately. In essence, the additional "Pooled" group consists of latecomers grouped together with the employees that immediately participated in the experiment. Source: Chadi, Adrian; Jeworrek, Sabrina; Mertins, Vanessa (2016): When the Meaning of Work Has Disappeared: Experimental Evidence on Employees’ Performance and Emotions. Management Science 63(6): 1696-1707.
in: Journal of European Public Policy, forthcoming
How does immigration affect support for redistribution? While most research focuses on overall tax and spending levels, we investigate how immigration influences preferences conditional on tax structures. Using two original survey experiments in the UK, we find that low- and middle-income respondents are more likely to support redistribution to immigrants under progressive systems shielding them from fiscal costs, but oppose redistribution when immigrants are identified as beneficiaries and the tax structure increases their fiscal burden. In contrast, high-income respondents' preferences are largely unaffected by either tax structure or immigrant inclusion. These findings suggest that progressive taxation (1) is a viable revenue-generating strategy without provoking major political backlash; (2) reduces native resistance to immigrant welfare inclusion; (3) helps explain puzzling variation in immigration's effects on welfare attitudes; and (4) clarifies why low- and middle-income groups sometimes reject generous welfare programs despite standing to benefit. Our results highlight the importance of institutional design in shaping how economic self-interest and immigration concerns interact.
in: Nature Human Behaviour, forthcoming
Socioeconomic inequalities shape who accesses early childcare, even in countries that claim universal provision. This entrenched inequality limits child development, women’s employment and gender equality — but governments have clear tools to close the gap.
in: Business Ethics, the Environment and Responsibility, forthcoming
This study examines why people engage in unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) by focusing on an overlooked mechanism: the mere fact of being a subordinate at the workplace. To establish a causal relationship, we conducted an online experiment with 615 full-time employees. We primed participants with private versus work-related contexts before instructing them to follow a rule that was beneficial for the organization but potentially unethical. We find that individuals high in power distance orientation engage to a greater extent in UPB after being primed on their work-related identity. Our results further emphasize that empowering leadership can mitigate this effect: For participants high in power distance, empowering messages eliminated the priming effect; their UPB levels matched those in the private control group. Thus, our study makes three key contributions: First, we add to the discussion of UPB antecedents. Second, we identify organizations that may be particularly vulnerable. Third, we point to strategies that could reduce UPB.
in: Journal of Financial Economics, forthcoming
Do economic incentives govern information diffusion in markets? Using international banks’ advisory activities in corporate takeovers as their source of private information, we show in supervisory data that banks with closer ties to the target, but not the acquirer, advisor trade profitably in the target’s stock prior to the deal announcement. This trading behavior is associated with a higher premium paid by the acquirer without compromising the deal success. As the incentives of informed traders are aligned only with those of the target shareholders, which are represented by the target advisor, our evidence suggests strategic information transmission among these banks.
in: Review of Finance, forthcoming
We study the interaction of expansionary rate-based monetary policy and quantitative easing, despite their concurrent implementation, by exploiting heterogeneous banks and the introduction of negative monetary-policy rates in a fragmented euro area. Quantitative easing increases credit supply less, translating into weaker employment growth, when banks’ funding costs do not decrease. Using administrative data from Germany, we uncover that among banks selling their securities, central-bank reserves remain disproportionately with high-deposit banks that are constrained due to sticky customer deposits at the zero lower bound. Affected German banks lend relatively less to firms while increasing their interbank exposure in the euro area.
in: Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, forthcoming
Exploiting the heteroskedasticity of the changes in short-term and long-term interest rates and exchange rates around the FOMC announcement, we identify three structural monetary policy shocks. We eliminate the predictable part of the shocks and study their effects on financial variables and macro variables. The first shock resembles a conventional monetary policy shock, and the second resembles an unconventional monetary shock. The third shock leads to an increase in interest rates, stock prices, industrial production, consumer prices, and commodity prices. At the same time, the excess bond premium and uncertainty decrease, and the U.S. dollar depreciates. Therefore, this third shock combines all the characteristics of a central bank information shock.
in: Journal of Human Resources, forthcoming
It is widely believed that female students perform better when taught by female professors. However, little is known about the mechanisms explaining these gender match effects. Using administrative records from a German public university, which cover all programs and courses between 2006 and 2018, we show that gender match effects are sizable in smaller classes, but are absent in larger classes. These results suggest that direct and frequent interactions between students and professors are crucial for gender match effects to emerge. In contrast, the mere fact that one’s professor is female is not sufficient to increase performance of female students.
in: Scandinavian Journal of Management, forthcoming
Intergenerational justice is a core principle of sustainability, yet empirical metrics on the impact of business on future generations remain scarce. Moreover, evidence suggests that different ESG scores capture distinct dimensions of corporate responsibility, highlighting the need for more targeted assessments. This study examines the relationship between corporate engagement with children’s rights and financial performance using a dataset of 1672 firm-year observations, combining a novel children’s rights benchmark with Refinitiv’s financial and sustainability metrics. Results indicate a negative association between marketplace ratings, assessing firms’ child welfare considerations in marketing, and accounting-based profitability, even when controlling for ESG subscores. However, no similar relationship emerges in stock market performance. These findings highlight potential tensions between corporate responsibility and short-term financial outcomes, emphasizing the role of regulatory frameworks and stakeholder engagement in balancing financial and social objectives.
in: Journal of the European Economic Association, forthcoming
More individualistic countries experience higher economic growth. We provide evidence for a human-capital-based explanation of the growth effects of individualism. Using data from the largest international adult skill assessment, we establish that individualism shapes human capital formation. We identify the effects of individualism by exploiting variation between migrants at the origin-country, origin-language, and person level. Migrants from more individualistic cultures have higher cognitive skills and larger skill gains over time. They also invest more in their skills over the life cycle, as they acquire more years of schooling and are more likely to participate in adult education activities. Individualism is more important in explaining adult skill formation than any other cultural trait that previous literature has emphasized. In the labor market, more individualistic migrants earn higher wages and are less often unemployed. We show that our results cannot be explained by selective migration or omitted origin-country variables.
in: Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, forthcoming
This article shows that when a compensation peer firm experiences a significant failure in its say-on-pay (SOP) voting, the focal firm’s stock price is adversely affected, resulting in reduced CEO pay in the subsequent period. This pay-reduction effect is amplified when the board is more powerful, when proxy advisors express concerns about CEO pay, and when the compensation consultant lacks quality. Directors who react to the price drop and cut the CEO’s pay receive higher votes in future director elections, implying a market feedback effect for directors of the focal firm triggered by their peers’ SOP voting failure.
in: Journal of European Public Policy, forthcoming
How does immigration affect support for redistribution? While most research focuses on overall tax and spending levels, we investigate how immigration influences preferences conditional on tax structures. Using two original survey experiments in the UK, we find that low- and middle-income respondents are more likely to support redistribution to immigrants under progressive systems shielding them from fiscal costs, but oppose redistribution when immigrants are identified as beneficiaries and the tax structure increases their fiscal burden. In contrast, high-income respondents' preferences are largely unaffected by either tax structure or immigrant inclusion. These findings suggest that progressive taxation (1) is a viable revenue-generating strategy without provoking major political backlash; (2) reduces native resistance to immigrant welfare inclusion; (3) helps explain puzzling variation in immigration's effects on welfare attitudes; and (4) clarifies why low- and middle-income groups sometimes reject generous welfare programs despite standing to benefit. Our results highlight the importance of institutional design in shaping how economic self-interest and immigration concerns interact.
in: Nature Human Behaviour, forthcoming
Socioeconomic inequalities shape who accesses early childcare, even in countries that claim universal provision. This entrenched inequality limits child development, women’s employment and gender equality — but governments have clear tools to close the gap.
in: Business Ethics, the Environment and Responsibility, forthcoming
This study examines why people engage in unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) by focusing on an overlooked mechanism: the mere fact of being a subordinate at the workplace. To establish a causal relationship, we conducted an online experiment with 615 full-time employees. We primed participants with private versus work-related contexts before instructing them to follow a rule that was beneficial for the organization but potentially unethical. We find that individuals high in power distance orientation engage to a greater extent in UPB after being primed on their work-related identity. Our results further emphasize that empowering leadership can mitigate this effect: For participants high in power distance, empowering messages eliminated the priming effect; their UPB levels matched those in the private control group. Thus, our study makes three key contributions: First, we add to the discussion of UPB antecedents. Second, we identify organizations that may be particularly vulnerable. Third, we point to strategies that could reduce UPB.
in: Journal of Financial Economics, forthcoming
Do economic incentives govern information diffusion in markets? Using international banks’ advisory activities in corporate takeovers as their source of private information, we show in supervisory data that banks with closer ties to the target, but not the acquirer, advisor trade profitably in the target’s stock prior to the deal announcement. This trading behavior is associated with a higher premium paid by the acquirer without compromising the deal success. As the incentives of informed traders are aligned only with those of the target shareholders, which are represented by the target advisor, our evidence suggests strategic information transmission among these banks.
in: Review of Finance, forthcoming
We study the interaction of expansionary rate-based monetary policy and quantitative easing, despite their concurrent implementation, by exploiting heterogeneous banks and the introduction of negative monetary-policy rates in a fragmented euro area. Quantitative easing increases credit supply less, translating into weaker employment growth, when banks’ funding costs do not decrease. Using administrative data from Germany, we uncover that among banks selling their securities, central-bank reserves remain disproportionately with high-deposit banks that are constrained due to sticky customer deposits at the zero lower bound. Affected German banks lend relatively less to firms while increasing their interbank exposure in the euro area.
in: Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, forthcoming
Exploiting the heteroskedasticity of the changes in short-term and long-term interest rates and exchange rates around the FOMC announcement, we identify three structural monetary policy shocks. We eliminate the predictable part of the shocks and study their effects on financial variables and macro variables. The first shock resembles a conventional monetary policy shock, and the second resembles an unconventional monetary shock. The third shock leads to an increase in interest rates, stock prices, industrial production, consumer prices, and commodity prices. At the same time, the excess bond premium and uncertainty decrease, and the U.S. dollar depreciates. Therefore, this third shock combines all the characteristics of a central bank information shock.
in: Journal of Human Resources, forthcoming
It is widely believed that female students perform better when taught by female professors. However, little is known about the mechanisms explaining these gender match effects. Using administrative records from a German public university, which cover all programs and courses between 2006 and 2018, we show that gender match effects are sizable in smaller classes, but are absent in larger classes. These results suggest that direct and frequent interactions between students and professors are crucial for gender match effects to emerge. In contrast, the mere fact that one’s professor is female is not sufficient to increase performance of female students.
in: Scandinavian Journal of Management, forthcoming
Intergenerational justice is a core principle of sustainability, yet empirical metrics on the impact of business on future generations remain scarce. Moreover, evidence suggests that different ESG scores capture distinct dimensions of corporate responsibility, highlighting the need for more targeted assessments. This study examines the relationship between corporate engagement with children’s rights and financial performance using a dataset of 1672 firm-year observations, combining a novel children’s rights benchmark with Refinitiv’s financial and sustainability metrics. Results indicate a negative association between marketplace ratings, assessing firms’ child welfare considerations in marketing, and accounting-based profitability, even when controlling for ESG subscores. However, no similar relationship emerges in stock market performance. These findings highlight potential tensions between corporate responsibility and short-term financial outcomes, emphasizing the role of regulatory frameworks and stakeholder engagement in balancing financial and social objectives.
in: Journal of the European Economic Association, forthcoming
More individualistic countries experience higher economic growth. We provide evidence for a human-capital-based explanation of the growth effects of individualism. Using data from the largest international adult skill assessment, we establish that individualism shapes human capital formation. We identify the effects of individualism by exploiting variation between migrants at the origin-country, origin-language, and person level. Migrants from more individualistic cultures have higher cognitive skills and larger skill gains over time. They also invest more in their skills over the life cycle, as they acquire more years of schooling and are more likely to participate in adult education activities. Individualism is more important in explaining adult skill formation than any other cultural trait that previous literature has emphasized. In the labor market, more individualistic migrants earn higher wages and are less often unemployed. We show that our results cannot be explained by selective migration or omitted origin-country variables.
in: Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, forthcoming
This article shows that when a compensation peer firm experiences a significant failure in its say-on-pay (SOP) voting, the focal firm’s stock price is adversely affected, resulting in reduced CEO pay in the subsequent period. This pay-reduction effect is amplified when the board is more powerful, when proxy advisors express concerns about CEO pay, and when the compensation consultant lacks quality. Directors who react to the price drop and cut the CEO’s pay receive higher votes in future director elections, implying a market feedback effect for directors of the focal firm triggered by their peers’ SOP voting failure.
