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on Microeconomic European Issues |
| By: | Reichert, Max; Bartova, Alzbeta (Leiden University); Emery, Tom (NIDI) |
| Abstract: | This study examines when parents across Europe begin using formal childcare and how the timing of entry is socially stratified by socioeconomic resources, employment, and informal care availability. Childcare services are central to work–family reconciliation and gender equality. Existing research focuses primarily on whether families use childcare, largely overlooking when they do so. But timing matters because institutional entitlements only translate into real opportunities when households can convert them into use at specific points after childbirth. Using harmonized EU-SILC data from 22 European countries (2003–2020), this study estimates age-specific probabilities of formal childcare use during the first four years after birth. An analysis with matched longitudinal data complements thus study to assess the stability of childcare use once initiated. Formal childcare use rises steeply with child age but displays pronounced social stratification. Higher maternal education, stronger labor-market attachment, and higher household income are associated with substantially earlier entry into formal care. Informal childcare acts as a key substitute, delaying formal entry. Cross-national differences in usage levels and timing are large. Longitudinal results show that once families enter formal childcare, exit is rare. Inequality in childcare use is fundamentally temporal. Advantaged parents convert institutional entitlements into earlier and longer use, while less resourceful households enter later, reinforcing cumulative inequalities in employment trajectories and early childhood environments. |
| Date: | 2026–01–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:ju75w_v1 |
| By: | Sona Badalyan |
| Abstract: | I study how delayed retirements reshape firms’ internal labor markets, leveraging a German reform that raised women’s early retirement age by at least three years. The reform increased retention of older women and reduced both internal promotions and external hiring of younger coworkers, with the greatest losses among middle-aged workers who were near to older workers on the career ladder. Spillovers are structured: promotion crowd-outs arise in thick internal labor markets with intense competition, while hiring declines are largest in thin external markets with high turnover costs. Crowd-out effects concentrate within jobcells, whereas coworkers in different jobcells can benefit when retained older workers possess specific human capital. Taken together, the evidence supports slot-constraint theories—augmented by firm-specific human-capital mechanisms |
| Keywords: | aging, internal labor markets, human capital, worker substitutability |
| JEL: | H55 J21 J23 J24 J26 J31 J63 M51 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cer:papers:wp810 |
| By: | Don Bredin (University College Dublin); Stilianos Fountas (University of Macedonia); Paraskevi Tzika (Swansea University, UK) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the impact of Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) on income inequality across a broad set of European countries from 1995 to 2022, with a particular focus on the core-periphery divide. Applying both time series and panel data methodologies—including Vector Autoregressions (VAR), panel VAR, and local projections—we assess how economic uncertainty influences inequality dynamics. Our findings reveal three key insights. First, uncertainty shocks significantly affect income inequality in nearly all countries, and the effect is time-varying. Second, the effect is heterogenous across countries but varies: uncertainty tends to reduce inequality in core European countries such as Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands, while mainly increasing it in periphery and intermediate countries like France, Greece, Italy, and Spain. Third, panel analysis confirms this asymmetry, showing more persistent and positive inequality effects in periphery countries. These results suggest that income inequality in Europe’s periphery is more vulnerable to economic uncertainty, underscoring the importance of stable policy environments and targeted fiscal responses. |
| Keywords: | economic uncertainty, income inequality, VAR models, rolling impulse response functions, panel LP |
| JEL: | C32 D3 D8 E32 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mcd:mcddps:2026_05 |
| By: | Lammi-Taskula, Johanna; Reimer, Thordis; Ainsaar, Mare; Blum, Sonja; Braziene, Ruta; Fagnani, Jeanne; Gurin, Martin; Mauerer, Gerlinde; Ružičić, Marija Mosurović; Pavlovic, Dejana |
| Abstract: | This report was produced within COST Action CA21150 “Parental Leave Policies and Social Sustainability (Sustainability@Leave)”, Working Group 2, and provides a systematic assessment of knowledge gaps in European research on parenting leave and social inequalities. Parenting leave policies constitute a key pillar of social sustainability, with demonstrated relevance for gender equality, labour market participation, health, and child well-being. While European research on parenting leave has expanded significantly over recent decades, the available evidence remains fragmented and uneven. Drawing on a narrative review of more than 400 publications from 24 European countries, this report maps which dimensions of inequality have been most extensively studied and identifies where substantial blind spots persist across countries, social groups, and levels of analysis. The review shows that research has focused predominantly on gender, particularly mothers’ employment trajectories and fathers’ take-up of leave. By contrast, other crucial dimensions of inequality, including health, disability, well-being, citizenship, ethnicity, non-standard employment, and diverse family forms, remain marginal in the literature. In addition, most studies implicitly centre on parents in stable, standard employment, resulting in limited evidence on the experiences of precarious workers, the self-employed, migrants, and low-income families. These biases restrict the capacity of current research to evaluate whether parenting leave policies reduce inequalities broadly or primarily benefit already advantaged groups. The report makes a central contribution by systematically linking policy design features (eligibility rules, benefit levels, individualisation, flexibility) with policy outcomes (leave take-up and longer-term inequality effects) and by highlighting the need for more intersectional, multi-level, and comparative research. It demonstrates that although a gender lens remains central to parental leave policies, future research should adopt a broader perspective to examine how multiple inequalities intersect. Strengthening data infrastructures, improving the measurement of leave use, and integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches are essential for advancing policy-relevant evidence. Policy recommendations emphasise the importance of inclusive parenting leave designs that accommodate diverse employment trajectories, ensure adequate income replacement, and support individual entitlements for both parents. The report also underlines the need for systematic monitoring of the EU Work–Life Balance Directive, not only in terms of legal compliance but with regard to its distributional effects across social groups and countries. By identifying where evidence is missing, this report provides a strategic agenda for future research aimed at improving the inequality-reducing potential of parenting leave policies in Europe. |
| Date: | 2026–01–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:8kbsz_v1 |
| By: | Fedeli, Emanuele (University of Trento); Borgen, Solveig Topstad (University of Oslo); Triventi, Moris |
| Abstract: | A longstanding debate in research on peer effects concerns whether exposure to high-achieving classmates enhances or depresses students’ academic performance. While normative models emphasize positive spillovers, social comparison theories highlight negative contrast effects, and empirical evidence remains mixed. Moreover, it is unclear whether peer effects operate similarly across institutional contexts. This study addresses these issues through a comparative analysis of Italy and Norway, two educational systems that differ markedly in competitiveness, tracking, evaluation practices, and gender norms. Using harmonized, population-wide administrative register data, we follow three full student cohorts from Grade 5 to Grade 8. This longitudinal design allows us to control for prior achievement—an advantage unavailable in international assessments such as PISA, TIMSS, or PIRLS. We estimate value-added school fixed-effects models that exploit within-school, across-cohort variation in peer composition. Across both countries, higher average peer achievement is associated with lower individual performance, consistent with social comparison mechanisms. Exposure to top-performing peers has negative effects, while exposure to low-performing peers has positive effects. These patterns are similar across countries and do not vary systematically by gender, suggesting that peer comparison processes are remarkably stable across institutional contexts. |
| Date: | 2026–01–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:sr8fn_v1 |
| By: | Breznau, Nate (University of Bremen); Offerhaus, Judith |
| Abstract: | This study investigates continuing vocational education and training (CVET) in three institutional contexts: Germany, Sweden, and The United Kingdom. Drawing on the first wave of PIAAC survey data’s unique questions and data availability, we analyse linkages between institutional regimes and socio-economic gradients in CVET participation and barriers to participation including self-reported constraints and lack of intrinsic interest. Theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that differences in CVET participation reflect educational, labour market, and welfare state institutions. Results show that Sweden’s universal-collectivist regime fosters the highest participation with minimal disparities, while Germany’s corporatist regime shows lower participation and higher stratification. The UK’s liberal-individualist model exhibits moderate participation but sharp socio-economic inequalities, emphasizing financial and employer-related barriers. Resource constraints such as time and money emerge as prominent barriers across institutional contexts. We thus shed light on different skill formation institutions and the differences and similarities in human behaviours and perceptions across them. Our exploratory measurement of interest opens pathways for future research that was not thought possible with existing PIAAC data. These findings contribute to long-term institutional analysis and theory, and inform policy interventions to reduce barriers, increase interest, and support disadvantaged groups. |
| Date: | 2026–01–27 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:ekda2_v1 |
| By: | Dadgar, Iman (Center for Education and Leadership Excellence); Nermo, Magnus (Department of Sociology, Stockholm University); Shahbazian, Roujman (Swedish Institute for Research (SOFI), Stockholm University) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies how students’ relative academic rank in compulsory school affects entry into the teaching profession. Using population-wide Swedish administrative data, we link grade-9 GPA for cohorts attending grade 9 in 1990–1997 to detailed occupational outcomes observed at age 40. We measure relative position as within-school–cohort GPA rank and estimate rank effects by exploiting variation in ordinal position among students with similar absolute achievement. The empirical design includes school-by-cohort fixed effects and controls for absolute ability via national GPA-rank indicators interacted with grading-environment (school-type) measures, along with family background controls. We find that lower-ranked students are more likely to become teachers, but the pattern differs across teaching segments: low local rank predicts entry into compulsory and upper-secondary teaching, while very high local rank predicts university teaching; there is no clear relationship for pre-school teaching. Effects are concentrated among women and are strongest for women in high-achieving schools. Results are robust to alternative specifications. The findings highlight relative academic standing as an important, previously overlooked determinant of occupational choice into teaching. |
| Keywords: | Educational inequality; Teaching profession; Occupational choice; School position; Reference groups; Relative deprivation; Sweden |
| Date: | 2026–02–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhb:hastel:2025_002 |
| 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:journl:hal-05458936 |
| By: | Xiangqing Liu (University of Padova); Elisabetta Lodigiani (University of Padova and LdA Author-Name: Silvana Robone; University of Eastern Piedmont); Elisa Tosetti (University of Padova); Giorgio Vittadini (University of Milan Bicocca) |
| Keywords: | : Mental health care, Economic crises, Immigration, Italy |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pad:wpaper:0322 |
| By: | Neumann, Uwe |
| Abstract: | The literature on regional agglomeration suggests that local economic revitalisation is likely to involve a rise in local wages. In the context of urban regeneration, community-oriented policy envisages to improve prosperity among the residential population of deprived neighbourhoods. Yet, due to an ever-increasing preference of households to reside at central locations this policy may spur gentrification if outsiders are attracted to new jobs and upgraded housing environments. Using Germany as a case study, the analysis explores whether local economies have received a boost that may have affected household sorting and local household income during the past two decades. The study reveals no considerable shift in sorting that would indicate gentrification. With a view to income over the past decade local households with a middle or higher income in programme areas have kept up with overall income growth and lowincome households have experienced zero growth but appear to have thereby performed slightly better than their counterparts elsewhere. Moderate funding of urban regeneration in combination with support to local communities is not capable of providing a remarkable boost, but it may bring about improvements for the residential population without accelerating gentrification. |
| Abstract: | Die regionalökonomische Literatur legt nahe, dass ein regionaler Wirtschaftsaufschwung mit örtlichen Lohnsteigerungen verbunden ist. Im Kontext der Stadterneuerung zielen lokale Fördermaßnahmen darauf ab, den Wohlstand der Wohnbevölkerung in benachteiligten Stadtvierteln zu verbessern. Aufgrund einer wachsenden Präferenz der Haushalte für eine zentrale Wohnlage kann diese Politik jedoch eine Gentrifizierung herbeiführen bzw. verstärken, wenn Außenstehende von neuen Arbeitsplätzen und einem verbesserten Wohnumfeld angezogen werden. Am Fallbeispiel Deutschland untersucht die Studie, ob im Zuge von Stadterneuerungsmaßnahmen in den vergangenen beiden Jahrzehnten Änderungen der Haushaltsstruktur und des lokalen Haushaltseinkommens in den Fördergebieten eingetreten sind. Die Analyse zeigt, dass kein nennenswerter Wandel der Haushaltsstruktur aufgetreten ist, der auf eine Gentrifizierung hindeuten würde. Mit Blick auf die Entwicklung der Einkommen in den vergangenen zehn Jahren wird festgestellt, dass lokale Haushalte mit mittlerem oder höherem Einkommen in den Programmgebieten mit dem allgemeinen Einkommenswachstum Schritt gehalten haben, während Haushalte mit niedrigem Einkommen kein Wachstum verzeichneten, damit aber offenbar etwas besser abschnitten als ihre Pendants in anderen Gebieten. Eine moderate Finanzierung der Stadterneuerung in Kombination mit der Unterstützung des lokalen Gemeinwesens kann zwar keinen bemerkenswerten Aufschwung bewirken, aber sie kann zu Verbesserungen für die Wohnbevölkerung führen, ohne dabei eine zur Verdrängung ärmerer Haushalte führende Gentrifizierung zu beschleunigen. |
| Keywords: | urban policy, local economies, household income, gentrification |
| JEL: | C21 C23 O18 R23 R31 R58 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:rwirep:335906 |
| By: | Minou Goetze; Sebastian Clajus; Stephan Stricker |
| Abstract: | The present study investigates the psychological and behavioral implications of integrating AI into debt collection practices using data from eleven European countries. Drawing on a large-scale experimental design (n = 3514) comparing human versus AI-mediated communication, we examine effects on consumers' social preferences (fairness, trust, reciprocity, efficiency) and social emotions (stigma, empathy). Participants perceive human interactions as more fair and more likely to elicit reciprocity, while AI-mediated communication is viewed as more efficient; no differences emerge in trust. Human contact elicits greater empathy, but also stronger feelings of stigma. Exploratory analyses reveal notable variation between gender, age groups, and cultural contexts. In general, the findings suggest that AI-mediated communication can improve efficiency and reduce stigma without diminishing trust, but should be used carefully in situations that require high empathy or increased sensitivity to fairness. The study advances our understanding of how AI influences the psychological dynamics in sensitive financial interactions and informs the design of communication strategies that balance technological effectiveness with interpersonal awareness. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2602.00050 |
| By: | Sebastian Ritter (AQR-IREA, University of Barcelona); Vicente Royuela (AQR-IREA, University of Barcelona) |
| Abstract: | As the EU races to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target, regional disparities in transition progress threaten to leave some territories behind. We introduce the Regional Green Transition Performance Index (RGTP), a novel composite measure capturing progress across seven pillars (environmental; energy; circular economy and waste; sustainable development; just transition; innovation and policy; and transport and mobility) for 232 European NUTS2 regions over 14 years. Drawing on 31 indicators, we map spatial patterns and dynamic processes. Furthermore, we argue that the green transition acts as a structural force whose potential effects on regional development can be expressed along two axes: vulnerability and opportunity. We propose an alternative measure of Regional Green Transition Opportunity index (RGTO) which we combine with the existent Regional Green Transition Vulnerability index (RGTV) of RodríguezPose & Bartalucci (2024) to construct a simple 2×2 typology of regions. We translate this evidence into a policy playbook: pair risk-mitigation with opportunity-creation and embed diffusion mechanisms so gains propagate beyond individual regions. The paper contributes an open dataset, a transparent methodology to separate performance, opportunities, and vulnerabilities which responds to the EU’s performance-based policy agenda by offering a region-level monitoring tool that complements cohesion instruments (ERDF/CF/JTF/ESF+) and flags where to reduce vulnerabilities while mobilizing opportunities in the green transition. |
| Keywords: | green transition; European Union; regional inequality; green transition index. JEL classification: C43; Q56; R11; R12 |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aqr:wpaper:202601 |
| By: | Marc Aliana (Department of Finance and Accounting, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain); Maria Teresa Balaguer-Coll (Department of Finance and Accounting, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain); Diego Prior (Department of Business, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain); Emili Tortosa-Ausina (IVIE, Valencia and IIDL and Department of Economics, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines eco-productivity convergence across European Union regions while explicitly incorporating institutional quality within a multilevel governance framework. Using a panel of 216 NUTS-2 regions over the period 2010–2023, we analyse whether regions converge in their ability to generate economic output while limiting environmental pressures, and how this process is shaped by both national and regional Quality of Government (QoG). Ecoproductivity is measured using a nonparametric frontier approach based on Data Envelopment Analysis, with labour and capital as inputs, GDP as a desirable output, and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, transformed into an outputoriented ‘GHG savings’ indicator. The results show that average eco-productivity levels are around 8% higher when QoG is accounted for, cross-regional dispersion is considerably lower, and β-convergence is consistently stronger and statistically significant across all subperiods. Overall, eco-productivity convergence is associated with QoG, suggesting that sustainable regional catch-up is more likely where green investment is matched by improvements in institutional quality. |
| Keywords: | Cohesion Policy; Eco-productivity convergence; Multilevel governance; Quality of Government. |
| JEL: | C14 C61 O18 Q56 R11 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jau:wpaper:2026/05 |
| By: | Guthmuller, Sophie; Carrieri, Vincenzo; Wübker, Ansgar |
| Abstract: | Organized cancer screening programs (OSPs) in Europe for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers aim to improve early detection and reduce mortality. This study measures the effects of OSPs on participation and examines cross-program spillovers, as women are often invited to multiple screenings. We construct a regional-level dataset on OSP availability, merged with individuallevel data from the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) covering 122, 000 women in 27 countries. We exploit cross-region and age-based variations in eligibility and employ a quasiexperimental difference-in-differences model to measure the causal effect of OSPs. OSPs substantially increase screening participation: mammography rises by 33.20 percentage points (pp) (95% CI: 24.56-41.85), fecal occult blood test (FOBT) by 19.41 pp (95% CI: 13.95-24.88), and pap test by 9.33 pp (95% CI: 5.26-13.41). Positive spillover effects occur when women are invited to two screenings (10 pp (95% CI: 4.81-15.20) for mammography, 3.35 pp (95% CI: 0.56-6.15) for pap test, 7.44 pp (95% CI:2.34-12.55) for FOBT) but targeting three cancers does not yield additional statistically significant gains. These findings highlight the strong impact of OSPs on participation and the value of coordinated screening and communication strategies as Europe expands organized screening to new cancer sites. |
| Abstract: | Organisierte Krebsvorsorgeprogramme (OSP) in Europa für Brust-, Gebärmutterhals- und Darmkrebs zielen darauf ab, die Früherkennung zu verbessern und die Sterblichkeit zu senken. Diese Studie misst die Auswirkungen von OSPs auf die Teilnahme und untersucht programmübergreifende Spillover-Effekte, da Frauen häufig zu mehreren Vorsorgeuntersuchungen eingeladen werden. Wir erstellen einen Datensatz auf regionaler Ebene zur Verfügbarkeit von OSPs und führen diesen mit Daten auf individueller Ebene aus der Europäischen Gesundheitsbefragung (EHIS) zusammen, die 122.000 Frauen in 27 Ländern umfasst. Wir nutzen regionenübergreifende und altersbedingte Unterschiede in der Teilnahmeberechtigung und verwenden ein quasi-experimentelles Differenz-in-Differenzen-Modell, um die kausalen Auswirkungen von OSPs zu messen. OSPs erhöhen die Teilnahme an Vorsorgeuntersuchungen erheblich: Die Mammographie steigt um 33, 20 Prozentpunkte (pp) (95 % KI: 24, 56-41, 85), die Fäkalbluttests (FOBT) um 19, 41 pp (95 % KI: 13, 95-24, 88) und die Pap-Tests um 9, 33 pp (95 % KI: 5, 26-13, 41). Positive Spillover-Effekte treten auf, wenn Frauen zu zwei Vorsorgeuntersuchungen eingeladen werden (10 pp (95 % KI: 4, 81-15, 20) für Mammographien, 3, 35 pp (95 % KI: 0, 56-6, 15) für Pap-Tests, 7, 44 pp (95 % KI: 2, 34-12, 55) für den FOBT). Eine gleichzeitige Einladung zu drei Krebsfrüherkennungsprogrammen führt hingegen zu keinen zusätzlichen statistisch signifikanten Effekten. Diese Ergebnisse unterstreichen den starken Einfluss von OSPs auf die Teilnahme und den Wert koordinierter Screening- und Kommunikationsstrategien, während Europa das organisierte Screening auf neue Krebsarten ausweitet. |
| Keywords: | Organized Screening Programs, screening participation, cancer screening, cross-program spillovers, Europe |
| JEL: | D90 H51 I12 I18 J18 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:rwirep:335896 |
| By: | Keil, Samuel; Martin, Pascal; Schiereck, Dirk |
| Abstract: | Announcements of emerging technologies often lead to notable stock market reactions, with Artificial Intelligence standing out due to its transformative potential and growing regulatory attention. Yet, most research on investor responses to AI disclosures focuses on U.S. firms, leaving the distinct European context unexplored. Using a short-term event study of 526 AI-related announcements by STOXX Europe 600 firms between 2015 and 2024, we report a significantly negative average stock return of -0.176% within a three-day window. However, announcements detailing specific AI technologies, involving collaborations with AI specialists, or made after the release of ChatGPT are associated with less negative reactions. In contrast, references to EU regulatory frameworks like the AI Act show no significant effect. Our findings confirm generally negative investor reactions to AI announcements but show that in Europe, strategic factors such as announcement specificity, collaborations, and timing also significantly mitigate these effects. |
| Date: | 2026–01–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dar:wpaper:159306 |
| By: | Albarello, Alessio; Boix, Carles |
| Abstract: | We examine the impact of 1990 and 2000 laws of citizenship in Germany, which liberalized the path to the acquisition of citizenship, on the national identity of immigrants. Leveraging the exogenous variation in waiting time for naturalization generated by those two reforms, we find that immigrants who benefited from less restrictive conditions to become citizens developed a stronger national identification with Germany, both after and during their waiting time for naturalization. The effect was particularly strong for women and for those immigrants that were older at the time of their arrival. A higher attachment to Germany seems to have been mainly driven by psychological and socioeconomic mechanisms: a more liberal regime reduced subjective concerns about discrimination, heightened immigrants’ social and political participation, and fostered their use of the German language. |
| Date: | 2026–01–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:2zy64_v1 |
| By: | César Ducruet; Mariantonia Lo Prete |
| Abstract: | Europe as a whole is often regarded as a frontrunner in the domain of port-city sustainability, thanks to a wide set of international, national, and local initiatives. This paper is a review of local initiatives that are either individual (single port city) or collective (partnerships among several port cities), in the domains of energy transition and transport fluidity. We find that individual initiatives concentrate in northern Europe, in the largest ports, and at a few southern ones like Valencia or Marseilles. Conversely, collective actions are more concentrated in the south, including mostly small and medium-sized port cities, through projects financed by the European Commission. Besides, we show that port-urban congestion and PM2.5 pollution concentrate in the demographically and logistically largest port cities, which also dominate container throughput rankings and have the highest number of initiatives. We discuss the imperatives of ensuring a better regional balance across the continent and its port-city hierarchy. |
| Keywords: | congestion; energy transition; Europe; population exposure; port cities; transport fluidity |
| JEL: | I15 Q53 Q56 R40 R11 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:drm:wpaper:2026-3 |
| By: | Jamasb, Tooraj (Department of Economics, Copenhagen Business School); Sikow-Magny, Catharina (Department of Economics, Copenhagen Business School) |
| Abstract: | Cross-border interconnection (IC) projects are central to achieving the European Union’s goals of energy market integration, system resilience, and security of supply. However, their implementation often encounters financial and policy challenges stemming from uneven distribution of costs and benefits across the countries and exacerbated jurisdictional differences and information asymmetry. This paper proposes an approach that reorients the current practice of CBCA policy to one that embeds economic theory that informs the project assessment and negotiation process. We present a conceptual framework that integrates bargaining theory and incentive design into the Cross-Border Cost Allocation (CBCA). It considers the joint interests of project promoters, National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs), and the European Commission (EC) when assessing investments and co-funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). A new role for CEF, not as an ex-post subsidy, but as a directed policy instrument enables elicitation of true values of benefits and incentive-compatible cost allocation that aligns national and EU objectives. We conclude with policy recommendations for enabling implementation of cross-border investments in the EU’s evolving energy grid policy. |
| Keywords: | Electricity grid; Cross-border investment; Cost allocation; Information asymmetry; Energy policy |
| JEL: | C70 D00 L94 Q40 |
| Date: | 2026–02–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:cbsnow:2026_004 |
| By: | Lepe, Alexander; Kolodziej, Ingo; Zinn, Sabine |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the gaps in Germany's pandemic data infrastructure revealed during COVID-19 and argues that linking the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) with administrative health records would strengthen the country's ability to monitor infectious diseases and their social distribution. Drawing on evidence from the RKI-SOEP study, we illustrate the added value of combining a rich household survey with infectious disease data. We discuss why such linkages remain limited in Germany, outline practical possibilities for implementation, and show how integration could support more timely and equitable evidence during future public health crises while also enabling broader health and social research. |
| Abstract: | Dieser Beitrag untersucht die während COVID-19 zutage getretenen Lücken in der deutschen Pandemiedateninfrastruktur und argumentiert, dass eine Verknüpfung des Sozioökonomischen Panels (SOEP) mit administrativen Gesundheitsdaten die Möglichkeiten des Staates verbessern würde, Infektionskrankheiten und deren gesellschaftliche Verbreitung zu verfolgen. Anhand von Erkenntnissen aus der RKI-SOEP-Studie veranschaulichen wir den Mehrwert einer Verknüpfung von umfangreichen Haushaltsbefragungen mit Daten zu Infektionskrankheiten. Wir diskutieren, warum solche Verknüpfungen in Deutschland nach wie vor eingeschränkt sind, skizzieren praktische Möglichkeiten für die Umsetzung und zeigen, wie die Integration zeitnahere und ausgewogenere Erkenntnisse während künftiger Krisen im Bereich der öffentlichen Gesundheit liefern und gleichzeitig eine breitere Gesundheits- und Sozialforschung ermöglichen könnte. |
| JEL: | C89 I18 I19 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:rwirep:335895 |