1. Über das IWH
  2. Team
  3. Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiter

Dr. Müge Süer

Dr. Müge Süer
Aktuelle Position

seit 10/26

Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin im Zentrum für Firmen- und Produktivitätsdynamik (IWH-CBPD)

Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung Halle (IWH)

CV herunterladen
Forschungsschwerpunkte
  • Geschlechterfragen
  • Ungleichheit

Müge Süer ist seit 2024 am Institut tätig und seit Oktober 2026 wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin im Zentrum für Firmen- und Produktivitätsdynamik (IWH-CBPD). Sie forscht zu den Themen Gender und Verhaltensweisen.

Müge Süer promovierte an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

Ihr Kontakt

Dr. Müge Süer
Dr. Müge Süer
- Abteilung Zentrum für Firmen- und Produktivitätsdynamik
Nachricht senden +49 345 7753-878 Persönliche Seite LinkedIn Profil ORCID

Publikationen

Zitationen
144

cover_journal-of-economic-behavior-and-organization.jpg

Face Mask Use and Physical Distancing Before and After Mandatory Masking: No Evidence on Risk Compensation in Public Waiting Lines

Gyula Seres Anna Helen Balleyer Nicola Cerutti Jana Friedrichsen Müge Süer

in: Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Vol. 192 (December), 2021

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the introduction of mandatory face mask usage triggered a heated debate. A major point of controversy is whether community use of masks creates a false sense of security that would diminish physical distancing, counteracting any potential direct benefit from masking. We conducted a randomized field experiment in Berlin, Germany, to investigate how masks affect distancing and whether the mask effect interacts with the introduction of an indoor mask mandate. Joining waiting lines in front of stores, we measured distances kept from the experimenter in two treatment conditions – the experimenter wore a mask in one and no face covering in the other – in two time spans – before and after mask use becoming mandatory in stores. We find no evidence that mandatory masking has a negative effect on distance kept toward a masked person. To the contrary, masks significantly increase distancing and the effect does not differ between the two periods. However, we show that after the mandate distances are shorter in locations where more non-essential stores, which were closed before the mandate, had reopened. We argue that the relaxations in general restrictions that coincided with the mask mandate led individuals to reduce other precautions, like keeping a safe distance.

Publikation lesen
cover_journal-of-the-economic-science-association.jpg

Face Masks Increase Compliance With Physical Distancing Recommendations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Gyula Seres Anna Helen Balleyer Nicola Cerutti Anastasia Danilov Jana Friedrichsen Yiming Liu Müge Süer

in: Journal of the Economic Science Association, Vol. 7 (2), 2021

Abstract

Governments across the world have implemented restrictive policies to slow the spread of COVID-19. Recommended face mask use has been a controversially discussed policy, among others, due to potential adverse effects on physical distancing. Using a randomized field experiment (N = 300), we show that individuals kept a significantly larger distance from someone wearing a face mask than from an unmasked person during the early days of the pandemic. According to an additional survey experiment (N = 456) conducted at the time, masked individuals were not perceived as being more infectious than unmasked ones, but they were believed to prefer more distancing. This result suggests that wearing a mask served as a social signal that led others to increase the distance they kept. Our findings provide evidence against the claim that mask use creates a false sense of security that would negatively affect physical distancing. Furthermore, our results suggest that behavior has informational content that may be affected by policies.

Publikation lesen
Alle referierten Publikationen durchsuchen
Mitglied der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft LogoTotal-Equality-LogoGefördert durch das BMWK