Die Dis cus si on Pape rs die nen einer mög lichst schnel len Ver brei tung von neue ren For schungs arbei ten des ZEW. Die Bei trä ge lie gen in allei ni ger Ver ant wor tung der Auto ren und stel len nicht not wen di ger wei se die Mei nung des ZEW dar.Dis cus si on Papers are inten ded to make results of ZEW research prompt ly avai la ble to other eco no mists in order to encou ra ge dis cus si on and sug gesti ons for revi si ons. The aut hors are sole ly respon si ble for the con tents which do not neces sa ri ly repre sent the opi ni on of the ZEW.Download this ZEW Discussion Paper from our ftp server:ftp://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp09020.pdf Nontechnical SummaryIn most Western, industrialised countries the workforce is ageing rapidly. Medical research on the relationship between individual performance and age suggests that an ageing workforce could have severe negative consequences on the economic performance of the affected countries. In order to assess the possible consequences of an ageing workforce, this paper measures the impact of changes in the age structure of establishments on productivity using representative linked employeremployee panel data. We take into account that the levels as well as the changes in the age structure of establishments and their production are likely to be determined simultaneously. We apply appropriate statistical methods and test their validity rigorously. In addition, we include several crucial establishment and workforce characteristics that are correlated with productivity and age shares. To summarise, our estimates suggest that some of the previeous studies underestimates the impact of older age groups on productivity. Most of the existing studies suggest a decline in productivity beyond the age of 40. However, we find that establishment productivity increases with the share of employees until the age group 50-55 years and decreases only slightly afterwards. In addition, the inclusion of additional establishment and employee characteristics has a remarkable impact on the shape of the age productivity pattern. Based on our results, we do not find an indication that the ageing workforce will necessarily lead to a decline of the welfare of the industrialised economies because on average the age productivity profile is essentially flat. Finally, our estimates suggest that there is considerable variation in the age productivity profile amongst the establishments in the economy. This is a sign of big differences in the impact of age on the productivity amongst the establishments. Das Wichtigste in Kürze Age and Productivity -Evidence from LinkedEmployer Employee Data AbstractIn most Western, industrialised countries the workforce is ageing rapidly. In order to assess the possible consequences of an ageing workforce, this paper measures the impact of changes in the age structure of establishments on productivity using representative linked employer-employee panel data. We take into account that the levels as well as the changes in the age structure of establishments an...

Die Dis cus si on Pape rs die nen einer mög lichst schnel len Ver brei tung von neue ren For schungs arbei ten des ZEW. Die Bei trä ge lie gen in allei ni ger Ver ant wor tung der Auto ren und stel len nicht not wen di ger wei se die Mei nung des ZEW dar.Dis cus si on Papers are inten ded to make results of ZEW research prompt ly avai la ble to other eco no mists in order to encou ra ge dis cus si on and sug gesti ons for revi si ons. The aut hors are sole ly respon si ble for the con tents which do not neces sa ri ly repre sent the opi ni on of the ZEW.Download this ZEW Discussion Paper from our ftp server:http://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp11058 .pdf Nontechnical SummaryIn most industrialised countries, the average age of the workforce has been growing rapidly during the recent years. If ageing workforces affect economic sectors differently, then the total impact of ageing depends on the industrial structure of an economy. It is therefore crucial to know how different sectors are affected by ageing workforces in order to assess the impact of ageing for the competitiveness of a country. This paper measures the impact of changes in the age structure of establishments on its productivity. Specifically, we estimate the productivity impact of different age groups separately for the services, manufacturing and metal manufacturing sectors.We use German representative linked employer-employee panel data, in order to control for the characteristics of the establishments as well as the characteristics of the employees. In theory, the age-productivity profiles for different sectors should differ. For example, the importance of physical strength or the possibilities to compensate deficits in skills are likely to differ between age and sectors. However, controlling for several potential sources of estimation biases, we find no significant differences in the age-productivity profiles between sectors. Differences between sectors in the application of specific human resource measures for old employees could provide a possible explanation for our findings. These specific measures could help to compensate sector specific deficits of older employees.The results of our study suggest that the expected impact of an ageing workforce on the economic performance is hardly influenced by the industrial structure of the economy. Das Wichtigste in KürzeIm Laufe der letzten Jahre stieg das Durchschnittsalter der Beschäftigten in fast allen AbstractIn most industrialised countries, the workforce is ageing rapidly. If ageing workforces affect sectors differently, the total impact of ageing will depend on the industrial structure of an economy. This paper measures the impact of changes in the age structure of establishments on productivity using representative linked employeremployee panel data. We argue that establishment age-productivity profiles might differ for various reasons. For example, the importance of physical strength and possibilities to compensate deficits in skills differ between sectors. We investigate differences in the a...

This article investigates whether income support for low-paid part-time workers in Belgium increases the transition from unemployment to non-subsidised, ‘regular’ employment. Our analysis uses a sample of long-term unemployed young women. Observing their labour market histories from 1998 to 2001, we implement the ‘timing of events’ method to identify the treatment effect. Our results suggest that participation in the policy has a significantly positive effect on the transition to regular employment. Participation reduced the survivor rate in unemployment by 27% points 1 year after the start of the programme. The time spent in the programme did not affect the transition to regular employment

In recent years there has been a proliferation of scholarship on protests and other forms of collective action in China. Important insights have been gained into how conflicts between social groups and local governments begin, which strategies and instruments protesters apply, and under which circumstances protests are likely to succeed or fail. However, comparatively little is known about the mobilizing structures and how such collective action can be sustained over a long period of time, in some instances over several years. Such perseverance would be remarkable even in a democracy, but it is more so in an authoritarian system where the risks of participating in collective action are higher and the chances to succeed much smaller. This article compares the development of public protests in two research locations and identifies four factors instrumental to overcoming the formidable challenges of sustaining collective action in China: the continuing existence of substantial grievances; the re-activation of strong social ties; the presence of unifying frames; and an adaptive protest leadership. The comparison shows that the last factor is particularly crucial: while the two villages were similar in all other respects, leadership in village B was far more adaptive than in village A, which goes a long way towards explaining why collective action could be sustained twice as long in village B.

Die Dis cus si on Pape rs die nen einer mög lichst schnel len Ver brei tung von neue ren For schungs arbei ten des ZEW. Die Bei trä ge lie gen in allei ni ger Ver ant wor tung der Auto ren und stel len nicht not wen di ger wei se die Mei nung des ZEW dar.Dis cus si on Papers are inten ded to make results of ZEW research prompt ly avai la ble to other eco no mists in order to encou ra ge dis cus si on and sug gesti ons for revi si ons. The aut hors are sole ly respon si ble for the con tents which do not neces sa ri ly repre sent the opi ni on of the ZEW.Download this ZEW Discussion Paper from our ftp server:ftp://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp08093.pdf Non technical summaryMany school-leavers enter the labour market via temporary employment. As employers could exploit the weak bargaining position of job starters, fixed-term contracts at the beginning of the labour market career are often criticized. However, temporary employment at this stage may as well act as a stepping stone into permanent employment. This is the case if it is easier to transit from temporary employment into permanent employment than from school to permanent employment.The paper investigates for a sample of Flemish school leavers whether a temporary employment spell at the start of the career has a positive or negative impact on the transition rate into permanent employment. Our analytical benchmark is the case of a direct transition from unemployment to permanent employment. Do individuals who start with fixed-term employment reach permanent employment more or less quickly?The fundamental problem in this type of study is that school-leavers who enter temporary employment are probably not a random group. They are likely to differ in their characteristics from school-leavers who do not enter temporary employment. If this is the case, simple comparison of transition rates for the two groups would not only capture the impact of temporary employment, but also the effect of the different characteristics.In order to control for selective participation in temporary employment, we use a large set of explanatory variables especially collected to study school-leavers. Furthermore we apply advanced statistical methods to test for the presence of selection in unobserved characteristics. Based on our statistical test, we conclude that given our data, there is no support for selection in unobserved characteristics.Simulation exercises give insight into temporary employment effects changing over time elapsed since school-leaving. In the short run temporary employment delays transition to permanent employment. But in the long run temporary employment acts as stepping stone and reduces the time required before reaching permanent employment. From this perspective fixed-term contracts at career entry appear as beneficial. Das Wichtigste in Kürze AbstractMany school-leavers enter the labour market via temporary employment. In this paper we investigate the impact of a temporary employment spell at the start of the career on the transition rate into permanent empl...

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We evaluate the effect of the Apprenticeship Bonus, an employment subsidy program, on early drop out of apprenticeship. Only school leavers who did not succeed to start apprenticeship training directly after leaving school are eligible for this program. Our analysis is based on rich survey data that has been collected specifically for this study. Using this data, we investigate the selection into the program and analyze the effect of this subsidy on apprenticeship drop out risk. Even though the subsidy provides strong incentives to prevent drop out, we do not find significant effects of the program on early drop out of subsidized apprentices. Our finding suggests that financial incentives are not efficient in increasing the probability to finish vocational in-firm training successfully.

In Taiwan, the legal definition of what constitutes “corrupt” behavior and legal changes is now clearer than ever. Moreover, since the change in ruling parties, judicial independence has been guaranteed and anti-corruption agencies have been strengthened considerably. Although there is still corruption and that the institutional configuration of Taiwan’s anti-corruption agencies is far from optimum, these are major achievements. The present report explains these achievements by tracing the interplay between agency and institutions at two turning points in Taiwan’s history, democratization and the change in ruling parties, in bringing about Taiwan’s anti-corruption reforms.