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on Microeconomic European Issues |
| By: | Arpino, Bruno; Tosi, Marco; Bordone, Valeria |
| Abstract: | Objectives. We aim to provide updated, comparative evidence on the prevalence of frequent contact (including digital) and close proximity between older parents and their children, and to assess how measurement choices affect cross-national patterns in Europe. Methods. We use data on 23 European countries from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe wave 9 (2021–2022) and the European Social Survey round 10 (2020–2022) to estimate the prevalence of frequent contact and close proximity across different approaches: most-contacted versus random child, any versus mode-specific contact, distance versus travel-time thresholds. Cross-national coherence is assessed with Spearman rank correlations and Kendall’s W. Results. We find a pronounced regional gradient: Southern Europe shows the highest levels of frequent contact and close proximity, Nordic and Continental countries the lowest, and Eastern Europe are in-between with internal heterogeneity. Digital communication is part of the intergenerational repertoire, albeit not clearly geographically patterned. Face-to-face and phone contacts remain dominant; texting is less widespread, while video calls remain rare. Measurement choices substantially shift prevalence levels but much less the ranking of countries that remains consistent also when adjusting for socio-demographics. Discussion. We document persistent family-regime differences and highlight digital contact as a supplementary facet of associational solidarity. Results point to risks of a double exclusion for older adults who lack face-to-face contact and cannot exploit digital tools and underscore that survey design choices matter for levels but not ranking-based comparisons, supporting the use of random-child items in general surveys. |
| Date: | 2026–01–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:uqept_v1 |
| By: | Silvia Matalone; Michele Belloni; Ludovico Carrino; Elena Meschi |
| Abstract: | This paper estimates the causal effect of job quality on the physical and mental health of older European workers. We combine longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) with occupation- and country-level job-quality measures from the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) for 14 European countries. To address endogenous occupational sorting, we focus on workers who remain within the same 3-digit ISCO occupation across waves, and estimate individual fixed-effects models that exploit exogenous within-occupation changes in working conditions over time. We find that deteriorations in job quality significantly worsen health outcomes. In particular, higher work intensity, poorer working time quality, and weaker job prospects reduce mental health and selected physical health outcomes. Pronounced gender heterogeneity emerges: women’s mental health is more sensitive to changes in work intensity and working time quality, while men’s health is more consistently affected by job discretion, including cardiovascular risk. Institutional context further moderates these effects, with smaller health penalties in countries with stronger healthcare capacity, stricter employment protection, and more comprehensive occupational health and safety regulation. Overall, the findings highlight the role of labour market conditions as causal determinants of health and the importance of integrated policy responses in ageing societies. |
| Keywords: | Working conditions, physical and mental health, healthcare systems and institutions |
| JEL: | I1 J01 J28 |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mib:wpaper:567 |
| By: | Agata Kałamucka (University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Interdisciplinary Centre for Labour Market and Family Dynamics); Anna Matysiak (University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Interdisciplinary Centre for Labour Market and Family Dynamics); Beata Osiewalska (University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Interdisciplinary Centre for Labour Market and Family Dynamics; Cracow University of Economics) |
| Abstract: | Advances in information and communication technologies have accelerated the diffusion of flexible working-time arrangements, with important implications for work–family reconciliation and fertility. Yet flexible schedules are not uniform. Employee-oriented flexibility, which grants workers control over when they work, differs fundamentally from employer-oriented flexibility, characterised by unpredictable hours and employer-driven schedule changes. These forms are unevenly distributed across social groups and may have contrasting consequences for family formation. While previous research has focused largely on women and employee-oriented flexibility, much less is known about how men’s working-time flexibility—particularly employer-oriented forms—shapes fertility behaviour. This paper examines the association between fathers’ working-time flexibility and the transition to a second birth in Germany. Using longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) for 2003–2019 and applying event history analysis, we analyse couples with one child, adopting a couple-level perspective that accounts for mothers’ employment status and schedule flexibility. The results show no overall association between men’s flexible schedules and second births in baseline models. However, important heterogeneity emerges once a couple’s characteristics are considered. Among dual-earner couples, fathers’ employer-oriented working-time flexibility significantly reduces the likelihood of a second birth, particularly when mothers have fixed schedules. In contrast, employee-oriented flexibility is positively associated with second births, but only in male breadwinner couples. Further analyses reveal that these relationships also vary by men’s socio-economic status. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between types of flexibility and considering couple-level contexts when assessing how labour market changes influence fertility. |
| Keywords: | working-time flexibility, fertility, flexible hours, Germany, GSOEP |
| JEL: | J12 J13 J16 J22 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:war:wpaper:2026-1 |
| By: | Winkelmann, Rainer; Zimmermann, Klaus F. |
| Abstract: | The macro evidence of increased adjustment pressure since the early seventies suggests that job mobility should have increased. Hence, retrospective and spell data from the German Socio-Economic Panel are combined in order to test the hypothesis that job stability for German workers declined between 1974 and 1994. Using count data regression models in which we control for labour market experience, various demographic factors, and occupation, we find that job stability did not decrease, but if anything increase, between 1974 and 1994. Our finding suggests that labour market inflexibility is an important factor in explaining the European unemployment problem. |
| Keywords: | Labor and Human Capital |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:canzdp:263787 |
| By: | Egshiglen Batbayar (University of Bonn); Christoph Breunig (University of Bonn); Peter Haan (DIW Berlin , FU Berlin); Boryana Ilieva (DIW Berlin, European Central Bank) |
| Abstract: | We propose a new approach to estimate selection-corrected quantiles of the gender wage gap. Our method employs instrumental variables that explain variation in the latent variable but, conditional on the latent process, do not directly affect selection. We provide semiparametric identification of the quantile parameters without imposing parametric restrictions on the selection probability, derive the asymptotic distribution of the proposed estimator based on constrained selection probability weighting, and demonstrate how the approach applies to the Roy model of labor supply. Using German administrative data, we analyze the distribution of the gender gap in full-time earnings. We find pronounced positive selection among women at the lower end, especially those with less education, which widens the gender gap in this segment, and strong positive selection among highly educated men at the top, which narrows the gender wage gap at upper quantiles. |
| Keywords: | quantile regression; sample selection; roy model; rank invariance; semiparametric inference; gender wage gap; wage inequality; |
| JEL: | C14 C31 C36 J16 J21 J31 |
| Date: | 2026–01–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rco:dpaper:560 |
| By: | Iñaki Aldasoro; Leonardo Gambacorta; Rozalia Pal; Debora Revoltella; Christoph Weiss; Marcin Wolski |
| Abstract: | This paper provides new evidence on how the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) affects productivity and employment in Europe. Using matched EIBIS-ORBIS data on more than 12, 000 non-financial firms in the European Union (EU) and United States (US), we instrument the adoption of AI by EU firms by assigning the adoption rates of US peers to isolate exogenous technological exposure. Our results show that AI adoption increases the level of labor productivity by 4%. Productivity gains are due to capital deepening, as we find no adverse effects on firm-level employment. This suggests that AI increases worker output rather than replacing labor in the short run, though longer-term effects remain uncertain. However, productivity benefits of AI adoption are unevenly distributed and concentrate in medium and large firms. Moreover, AI-adopting firms are more innovative and their workers earn higher wages. Our analysis also highlights the critical role of complementary investments in software and data or workforce training to fully unlock the productivity gains of AI adoption. |
| Keywords: | artificial intelligence, firm productivity, Europe, digital transformation |
| JEL: | D22 J24 L25 O33 O47 |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bis:biswps:1325 |
| By: | Hirschbuehl Dominik (European Commission - JRC); Ceglar Andrej; Cojoianu Theodor; Emambakhsh Tina; Qi Yifan; Rho Caterina (European Commission - JRC); Hu Elsie; Petracco Marco (European Commission - JRC); Biganzoli Fabrizio; De Jager Alfred (European Commission - JRC); Garcia Herrero Laura (European Commission - JRC); Mandrici Andrea; Pasqua Carlo |
| Abstract: | This study examines how euro area banks factor pollution-induced biodiversity risks into lending decisions, using data from 832 banks and 5, 000 major polluters. Our results show that banks are increasingly pricing these risks by adjusting loan-to-value ratios and interest rates. Banks adjust lending conditions in line with EU pollution and biodiversity protection legislation, particularly for companies with large pollution footprints near biodiversity-protected areas or those contributing to Environmental Quality Standards failures of downstream surface waters. The former is driven primarily by banks' adoption of biodiversity policies and public commitments to the Equator Principles, while the latter is a result of regulatory risks. Our findings inform financial supervisors on how banks manage risks associated with the EU's zero pollution ambition, shed light on the interplay between biodiversity protection legislation and banks' lending decisions, and offer actionable guidance on leveraging existing regulatory frameworks to address the climate-biodiversity-pollution nexus. |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jrs:wpaper:202510 |
| By: | Pauline Charousset (IPP - Institut des politiques publiques); Julien Grenet (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris, IPP - Institut des politiques publiques); Nina Guyon (ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris, IPP - Institut des politiques publiques); Youssef Souidi (IPP - Institut des politiques publiques) |
| Abstract: | La baisse quasi continue de la natalité en France depuis 2010 entraîne une diminution marquée des effectifs d'élèves dans le premier degré, qui se prolongera pendant au moins une décennie. Dans un contexte de contraintes sur les finances publiques, cette évolution pose la question d'un ajustement de la dépense éducative : faut-il réduire le nombre d'enseignants pour réaliser des économies budgétaires, ou saisir cette opportunité pour améliorer les conditions d'apprentissage en réduisant la taille des classes ? Ce chapitre explore les enjeux de ce choix à partir de données détaillées et de simulations prospectives. L'étude met en lumière les arbitrages économiques associés à différents scénarios de gestion des effectifs enseignants, et souligne les risques d'accentuation des disparités territoriales en matière de taille des classes si la répartition des enseignants ne fait pas l'objet d'une planification coordonnée. |
| Keywords: | Indice d'efficacité de la dépense publique, Taille des classes, Démographie scolaire |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:ipppap:hal-05458936 |
| By: | Federica Arena |
| Abstract: | This study aims to advance the analysis of Italian economic growth by examining the long-term relationship between autonomous demand and GDP through time series econometrics, while providing a comparative assessment of autonomous demand multipliers. The econometric analyzes support two key conclusions: first, that autonomous demand has been the long-term growth engine in Italy; and second, that the economic slowdown following Italy’s accession to the EU may have been driven by the low multiplier values associated with exports |
| Keywords: | Supermultiplier Model, Italian Economic Growth, Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), Local Projections, Multipliers Jel Classification: C32, E12, E62 |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:usi:wpaper:937 |
| By: | Matthieu Julius Chauveau (LIREM - Laboratoire de Recherche en Management - UPPA - Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour) |
| Abstract: | Reductions in state subsidies to local authorities have led to paradoxes - or contradictions - in the way French civil servants carry out their public service missions. As a result, they are experiencing increased stress and discomfort in the workplace. The 2023 edition of the "La Gazette"-MNT barometer of territorial civil servants' wellbeing (Ginibrière, 2023) shows that job satisfaction is down on 2019. Civil servants are feeling more pressure from both users and their superiors. We would like to study the antecedents of wellbeing at work among French territorial civil servants, using the Job Demands-Resources model (Demerouti et al., 2001).. The antecedents selected are Paradoxical Leadership (paradox management from New Public Management), adapted to the public sector (Backhaus et al., 2021; Y. Zhang et al., 2012) and Public Service Motivation (De Simone et al., 2016; Perry, 1996; Perry & Wise, 1990) mediated by burnout and work engagement. Our results show a strong link between these antecedents and wellbeing at work, and the interaction found between paradoxical leadership and public service motivation is a potential lever for improving civil servants' wellbeing. |
| Keywords: | Wellbeing at work, Public Management, Local Governance, Paradoxical Leadership, Public Service Motivation |
| Date: | 2024–06–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05007008 |
| By: | Arrighetti, Alessandro; Foresti, Giovanni; Fumagalli, Serena; Giusti, Sara; Lasagni, Andrea |
| Abstract: | This paper challenges the widespread assumption that migrant-owned firms inevitably suffer from persistent performance disadvantages due to structural liabilities. Using a matched-sample design based on firm-level administrative data for the period 2019–2023, we compare migrant- and native-owned enterprises across multiple performance dimensions, including value added, sales, total assets, and employment growth. While descriptive statistics confirm migrant-owned firms’ lower capital intensity and value added levels, our regression estimates reveal no evidence of a systematic performance disadvantage associated with the Liability of Foreignness (LoF). Moreover, when LoF and other liabilities (Liability of Newness, LoN, and Liability of Smallness, LoS) are jointly considered, interaction effects are either neutral or positive. In particular, young migrant firms (LoF × LoN) and micro-sized migrant firms (LoF × LoS) often outperform native-owned enterprises’ in growth indicators. These results seem to suggest that eventual disadvantages caused by the Liability of Foreignness can be offset by some strategic assets, such as transnational networks, flexibility, and adaptive capabilities, that usually characterized migrant-owned firms. The findings contribute to a more context-sensitive understanding of migrant entrepreneurship, with implications for both theory and policy. |
| Keywords: | Migrant entrepreneurship, Native firms, Liability of Foreignness, Liability of Newness, Liability of Smallness, Growth, Performance, Matched-pair Analysis |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:esprep:335547 |
| By: | Harry Aytug |
| Abstract: | Two decades of research on the euro's trade effects have produced estimates ranging from 4% to 30%, with no consensus on the magnitude. We find evidence that this divergence may reflect genuine heterogeneity in the euro's trade effect across country pairs rather than methodological differences alone. Using Eurostat data on 15 EU countries from 1995-2015, we estimate that euro adoption increased bilateral trade by 24% on average (15.0% after fixed effects correction), but effects range from -12% to +68% across eurozone pairs. Core eurozone pairs (e.g., Germany-France, Germany-Netherlands) show large gains, while peripheral pairs involving Finland, Greece, and Portugal saw smaller or negative effects, with some negative estimates statistically significant and interpretable as trade diversion. Pre-euro trade intensity and GDP explain over 90% of this variation. Extending to EU28, we find evidence that crisis-era adopters (Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia) pull down naive estimates to 5%, but accounting for fixed effects recovers estimates of 14.0%, consistent with the EU15 fixed-effects baseline of 15.0%. Illustrative counterfactual analysis suggests non-eurozone members would have experienced varied effects: UK (+24%), Sweden (+20%), Denmark (+19%). The wide range of prior estimates appears to be largely a feature of the data, not a bug in the methods. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2601.19664 |