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on Labour Economics |
| By: | Alessandra Casarico; Edoardo Di Porto; Joanna Kopinska; Salvatore Lattanzio |
| Abstract: | Relying on a reform that increased parental leave generosity, we estimate workplace peer effects in the use of leave, with a focus on fathers. Coworker fathers are more likely to take parental leave when exposed to a higher share of peer fathers, who are exogenously affected by the reform. This effect is stronger in larger establishments, those with higher levels of social capital and higher use of parental leave before the reform. We also document that own-gender peer effects are larger than cross-gender influences, and show the absence of career costs for fathers exposed to the reform, which provides an explanation for our findings. Peer effects extend to coworker fathers' partners, who experience an increase in earnings and labor supply. Peer effects are observed also for mothers, but the response of their partners is less pronounced. |
| Keywords: | parental leave, peer effects, career costs, female labor market participation. |
| JEL: | J13 J16 J18 K31 M52 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11795 |
| By: | Forslund, Anders (IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy) |
| Abstract: | This paper explores post-pandemic developments and analyses post-COVID matching dynamics in the Nordic labour markets. It also discusses the role of institutions and the policies implemented to address labour market mismatch in the region. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a recession, with a rapid and sizeable downturn in the Nordic labour markets. They rebounded rapidly, however, and most aggregate measures of labour market performance returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2021. Employment rates continued to rise and exceeded pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, high vacancy and unemployment rates continued to coexist after the pandemic. However, Sweden is the only Nordic country to show signs, albeit ambiguous ones, of increased labour market mismatch after the pandemic. |
| Keywords: | employment; unemployment; labour market matching; active labour market policies |
| JEL: | J01 J08 J63 J64 |
| Date: | 2025–04–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:ifauwp:2025_005 |
| By: | Aya Aboulhosn (American University); Cevat Aksoy (EBRD); Berkay Ozcan (LSE) |
| Abstract: | Debates about immigration’s role in addressing population aging typically concentrate on immigrant fertility rates. Moreover, standard projections account for migration’s impact on overall population growth while largely overlooking how immigration might affect native fertility. In contrast, we show that forced immigration influences native fertility as well. We investigate this relationship by examining the influx of refugees into Türkiye following the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Using two complementary instrumental variable strategies, we find robust evidence that native fertility increases in response to forced migration. This result holds across three distinct datasets and is further supported by a corresponding rise in subjective fertility measures, such as the ideal number of children. Additionally, we explore four potential mechanisms and document significant heterogeneity in fertility responses among different native subgroups. Our findings suggest that factors related to the labor market and norm transmission may help explain the observed increase in native fertility. |
| Keywords: | forced migration; fertility; refugees; social interactions |
| JEL: | J13 R23 F22 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crm:wpaper:2505 |
| By: | Devos, Louise (Ghent University); Lippens, Louis (Ghent University); Claus, Dagmar (Ghent University); Baert, Stijn (Ghent University) |
| Abstract: | Regional mobility is crucial for addressing labour shortages, as jobseekers from one region may fill vacancies in another region with few local candidates. However, this requires a willingness amongst employers to consider candidates from across regional borders. This study examines the influence of regional identity on hiring decisions in the Belgian labour market, focusing on perceptions of Flemish recruiters towards Flemish and Walloon candidates. Through a state-of-the-art vignette experiment, genuine Flemish recruiters evaluated fictitious resumes of school leavers that signalled regional identity through their name, place of birth, residential address, secondary school location, and/or language proficiency. Walloon candidates consistently score lower on key hiring metrics. Structural equation modelling reveals that Flemish employers hold negative perceptions of Walloon candidates, particularly regarding availability, interpersonal competency, attitude, and willingness of employers, employees, and clients to cooperate with them. These findings highlight the persistent role of regional identity stereotypes in reinforcing labour market inequalities and impeding mobility as a strategy to mitigate labour market tightness. |
| Keywords: | perceptions, culture, regional mobility, labour market, discrimination, Belgium |
| JEL: | J61 J68 J71 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17855 |
| By: | Rubén Domínguez-Díaz (BANCO DE ESPAÑA); Donghai Zhang (NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE AND UNIVERSITY OF BONN) |
| Abstract: | We assess the macroeconomic effects of unemployment insurance (UI) extensions in the US through a novel identification scheme based on the design of the UI policy rule. Our approach exploits differences in the effects of demand shocks across US states with different responses in UI duration. Our results indicate that UI extensions have a significant stabilization role. We then show that a New Keynesian small-open-economy model with imperfect insurance against unemployment aligns with our empirical findings. Finally, we use the model to recover the implied UI multiplier, quantify the different transmission channels of UI extensions and uncover their union-wide effects. |
| Keywords: | unemployment insurance, UI extensions, heterogeneous agents |
| JEL: | E62 E24 E21 E30 J60 R12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bde:wpaper:2521 |
| By: | Francesco Roncone |
| Abstract: | Although more than 20 per cent of the workforce changes their occupation every year, we still do not fully understand the mechanisms behind the observed mobility. This paper focuses on analysing the relationship between work-hour instability and occupational mobility in the US labour market. I use the longitudinal dimension of the Current Population Survey (CPS) to measure individuals' intra-year work-hour variation and analyse their mobility through a balanced occupation panel. Being in the highest quartile of work-hour variation is associated with a higher mobility rate of 0.33% for men and 0.81% for women compared to an average monthly mobility rate of 1.71%. Analysing the predicted marginal effects across different household compositions suggests that the substantial gender gap can be explained by the intra-household specialisation of men and women. The last part of this study shows that only workers with highly volatile work hours sort themselves into more stable occupations. |
| JEL: | J16 J22 J24 J62 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bol:bodewp:wp1201 |
| By: | Mattias Almgren; John Kramer; Jósef Sigurdsson |
| Abstract: | Children tend to choose the same occupations as their parents. We examine the implications of this tendency for talent allocation and intergenerational mobility. Using Swedish data on skills and personality traits, we estimate a general equilibrium Roy model with unequal occupational access depending on parental background. Equalizing access halves occupational following and increases intergenerational earnings mobility by a third, benefiting low-income sons most. Exploiting long-run declines in fathers’ occupations, we find that reduced following improves sons’ skill-matching and raises earnings, aligning with our model. Our results suggest that facilitating more occupational mobility would increase intergenerational income mobility without reducing output. |
| Keywords: | occupational mobility, misallocation, roy model, comparative advantage. |
| JEL: | E24 J24 J62 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11808 |
| By: | Abbiati, Giovanni (University of Brescia); Battistin, Erich (University of Maryland); Monti, Paola (Fondazione Rodolfo DeBenedetti); Pinotti, Paolo (Bocconi University) |
| Abstract: | We evaluate a labor market integration program that fast-tracked asylum seekers into the Italian labor market through personalized job mentoring, placement assistance, and on-the-job training. Leveraging randomized assignment across reception centers and individual-level administrative records, we find effects on employment rates of $10$ percentage points, or $30\%$ over the baseline, over a 18-month period. The program also improved job quality through increased access to fixed-term and open-ended contracts. Subsidized internships were a critical pathway to transitioning participants into standard employment. Survey data indicate that these effects reflect a net increase in employment, rather than a shift from informal to formal jobs. We also document broader benefits on socioeconomic integration, including language proficiency and social networks with native Italians. |
| Keywords: | job mentoring, labor market integration, asylum seekers, socioeconomic integration |
| JEL: | J15 D04 C90 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17859 |
| By: | Doepke, Matthias (London School of Economics); Foerster, Hanno (Boston College); Hannusch, Anne (University of Bonn); Tertilt, Michèle (University of Mannheim) |
| Abstract: | During the first half of the twentieth century, many US states enacted laws restricting women's labor market opportunities, including maximum hours restrictions, minimum wage laws, and night-shift bans. The era of so-called protective labor laws came to an end in the 1960s as a result of civil rights reforms. In this paper, we investigate the political economy behind the rise and fall of these laws. We argue that the main driver behind protective labor laws was men's desire to shield themselves from labor market competition. We spell out the mechanism through a politico-economic model in which singles and couples work in different sectors and vote on protective legislation. Restrictions are supported by single men and couples with male sole earners who compete with women for jobs. We show that the theory's predictions for when protective legislation will be introduced are well supported by US state-level evidence. |
| Keywords: | structural transformation, labor market competition, women's rights, political economy, protective legislation, family economics, gender |
| JEL: | D13 D72 D78 E24 J12 J16 N30 O10 O43 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17857 |
| By: | Dodini, Samuel (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas); Lundborg, Petter (Lund University); Loken, Katrine Vellesen (Norwegian School of Economics); Willén, Alexander (Norwegian School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the welfare consequences of reallocating high-skilled labor across borders. A labor demand shock in Norway—driven by a surge in oil prices—substantially increased physician wages and sharply raised the incentive for Swedish doctors to commute across the border. Leveraging linked register data and a dose-response difference-in-differences design, we show that this shift doubled commuting rates and significantly reduced Sweden’s domestic physician supply. The result was a persistent rise in mortality, with no corresponding health gains in Norway. These effects were unevenly distributed, disproportionately harming certain places and populations. The underlying mechanism was a severe strain on Sweden’s healthcare system: shortages of young, high-skilled generalists led to more hospitalizations, premature discharges, higher readmission rates, and delayed care. Mortality effects were larger in low-density physician regions and concentrated in older individuals and acute conditions—circulatory, respiratory, and infectious diseases. Our findings show that even temporary, intensive-margin shifts in skilled labor can generate large and unequal welfare losses when public services are already capacity-constrained. |
| Keywords: | brain drain, worker mobility, mortality |
| JEL: | J2 J6 H1 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17819 |
| By: | Enrico Moretti; Moises Yi |
| Abstract: | Economists have long hypothesized that large and thick labor markets facilitate the matching between workers and firms. We use administrative data from the LEHD to compare the job search outcomes of workers originally in large and small markets who lost their jobs due to a firm closure. We define a labor market as the Commuting Zone×industry pair in the quarter before the closure. To account for the possible sorting of high-quality workers into larger markets, the effect of market size is identified by comparing workers in large and small markets within the same CZ, conditional on workers fixed effects. In the six quarters before their firm’s closure, workers in small and large markets have a similar probability of employment and quarterly earnings. Following the closure, workers in larger markets experience significantly shorter non-employment spells and smaller earning losses than workers in smaller markets, indicating that larger markets partially insure workers against idiosyncratic employment shocks. A 1 percent increase in market size results in a 0.015 and 0.023 percentage points increase in the 1-year re-employment probability of high school and college graduates, respectively. Displaced workers in larger markets also experience a significantly lower need for relocation to a different CZ. Conditional on finding a new job, the quality of the new worker-firm match is higher in larger markets, as proxied by a higher probability that the new match lasts more than one year; the new industry is the same as the old one; and the new industry is a “good fit” for the worker’s college major. Consistent with the notion that market size should be particularly consequential for more specialized workers, we find that the effects are larger in industries where human capital is more specialized and less portable. Our findings may help explain the geographical agglomeration of industries—especially those that make intensive use of highly specialized workers—and validate one of the mechanisms that urban economists have proposed for the existence of agglomeration economies. |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cen:wpaper:25-22 |
| By: | García-Suaza, Andres; Mondragón-Mayo, Angie; Sarango-Iturralde, Alexander |
| Abstract: | The Venezuelan migration crisis has led to large-scale displacement, with over 2.5 million Venezuelans seeking refuge in Colombia. This study assesses the impact of the PEP on labor market outcomes for Venezuelan migrants. Using data from the EPM survey and a difference-in-differences methodology, the study compares preand post-migration labor conditions. Findings indicate that while PEP holders have increased access to formal ways of employment, it does not significantly mitigate occupational downgrading, as many migrants, especially those with white-collar experience, transition to blue-collar jobs. The results suggest that, although the PEP improves employment access, it does not fully address the quality mismatch between migrants' skills and available job opportunities. The findings underscore the importance of policy initiatives targeting skill development and matching migrants' qualifications with job market needs to enhance labor market integration and reduce inequality. |
| Keywords: | Migration, occupational downgrading, labor mobility, work permits |
| JEL: | F22 O15 J24 J61 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1606 |
| By: | Mirjam Bächli; Rafael Lalive; Michele Pellizzari |
| Abstract: | Searching for jobs is challenging, and online platforms now often offer tailored job recommendations. In a randomized controlled trial with over 1, 250 participants, we evaluate recommendations based on prior experience or based on skill profiles assessed at study enrolment. We find that, on average, both types of recommendations improve job finding rates. Profile-based recommendations are particularly effective for individuals with limited experience and mismatch in the prior job, while experience-based recommendations may slow down job finding for those with limited experience but a well-matched previous job. These findings highlight the need to align job search advice with jobseekers’ skills. |
| Keywords: | jobseekers, online job search, job recommendations |
| JEL: | J24 J62 J64 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11702 |
| By: | Almar, Frederik (Aarhus University); Friedrich, Benjamin (Northwestern University); Reynoso, Ana (University of Michigan); Schulz, Bastian (Aarhus University); Vejlin, Rune Majlund (Aarhus University) |
| Abstract: | This paper revisits the link between education-based marriage market sorting and income inequality. Leveraging Danish administrative data, we develop a novel categorization of “ambition types” that is based on starting wages and wage growth trajectories associated with detailed educational programs. We find a substantial increase in assortative matching by educational ambition over time, and the marriage market explains more than 40% of increasing inequality since 1980. In contrast, sorting trends are flat with the commonly-used educational level categorization. We conclude that the mapping from education to types matters crucially for conclusions about how education-based marriage market sorting contributes to rising income inequality. |
| Keywords: | inequality, marital sorting, education |
| JEL: | D13 D31 I24 |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17814 |
| By: | Simone Schüller |
| Abstract: | This study investigates whether (and how) working from home (WFH) affects the gender division of parental unpaid labor. I use the recent COVID-19 pandemic that brought an unanticipated yet lasting shift to WFH combined with a measure of occupational WFH feasibility (Alipour et al. 2023) as a quasi-experiment to employ an instrumental variable (IV) approach and estimate causal effects. I use unique longitudinal data from the “Growing up in Germany” (AID:A) panel study, which administered a pre-pandemic wave in 2019, and a post-pandemic wave in 2023. AID:A contains rich information on mothers’ and fathers’ time use for work, commuting, childcare, and housework. I find that the most robust effects emerge for paternal WFH intensity (at least weekly WFH) on parental division of housework: families in which fathers start weekly WFH in the period 2019 to 2023—due to their occupational WFH capacity in combination with the pandemic WFH-boost—experience a significant decrease in the maternal share of parental housework. Interestingly, this shift appears to be mainly driven by a reduction of maternal time use for housework (combined with an increase of her work hours) and less by an increase in paternal time use for housework suggesting cross-parent effects of WFH. |
| Keywords: | working from home, childcare, housework, time use, gender equality, Covid-19, AID:A panel survey |
| JEL: | D13 I31 J13 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11689 |
| By: | Klara Kantova (Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University, Prague); Tomas Havranek (Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University, Prague, Centre for Economic Policy Research, London, Meta-Research Innovation Center, Stanford); Zuzana Irsova (Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University, Prague, Anglo-American University, Prague) |
| Abstract: | This paper presents the first comprehensive meta-analysis of the elasticity of substitution between native and immigrant labor. Drawing on 1, 091 estimates from 41 studies, we examine whether immigrants and natives compete in the same labor markets, and to what extent published estimates are shaped by methodological choices and publication bias. We find strong evidence of small-study effects: less precise estimates are associated with lower elasticities, which is consistent with selective reporting. Correcting for these biases using a wide array of techniques (linear, nonlinear, and selection models) raises the mean implied elasticity from 13 to approximately 20. Model averaging techniques reveal that data features, such as experience level, wage definition, and region, explain much of the heterogeneity in reported results. Notably, the often-cited discrepancy between using log(mean wages) and mean(log wages) largely disappears once publication bias is accounted for. Our findings imply that immigrants and natives are imperfect substitutes but more substitutable than is commonly assumed. |
| Keywords: | elasticity of substitution, immigration, native labor, metaanalysis, publication bias |
| JEL: | J15 J61 C83 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fau:wpaper:wp2025_08 |
| By: | Pia Heckl; Carolina Lennon; Alyssa Schneebaum |
| Abstract: | Global firms have a higher share of female employees than domestic non-exporters. To explain this fact, this paper tests whether international trade and FDI are channels through which norms regarding gender (in)equality are transmitted from customers and investors to firms. We employ pooled cross-sectional data from 2007 - 2016 for around 28, 000 firms in 104 different countries. We compare global versus non-global firms in the same market to study the influence of firms’ exposure to gender norms in commercial partner countries. The results show a race to the top for low- and mid-level jobs and the opposite for top managerial positions. |
| Keywords: | globalization, international trade, FDI, gender, transmission of social norms |
| JEL: | F66 D22 F42 J16 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11704 |
| By: | Gabriella Conti; Rita Ginja; Petra Persson; Barton Willage |
| Abstract: | The motherhood penalty is well-documented, but what happens at the other end of the reproductive spectrum? Menopause—a transition often marked by debilitating physical and psychological symptoms—also entails substantial costs. Using population-wide Norwegian and Swedish data and quasi-experimental methods, we show that a menopause diagnosis leads to lasting drops in earnings and employment, alongside greater reliance on social transfers. The impact is especially severe for women with lower socioeconomic status. Increasing access to menopause-related health care can help offset these losses. Our findings reveal the hidden economic toll of menopause and the potential gains from better support policies. |
| Keywords: | menopause, health care, disability income, fertility |
| JEL: | J01 J13 I10 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11761 |
| By: | Römer, Nathalie; Schröder, Marina |
| Abstract: | Written self-promotion is crucial in numerous decision-making scenarios, including job applications, securing funds for start-ups, or academic grant proposals. In two experiments, we study the effects of written self-promotion on decision quality and gender bias. We show that, if anything, written self-promotion slightly improves decision quality. Concerning gender bias, we find that self-promotion does not induce a gender bias that harms women. While women in our sample face adverse effects of written self-promotion due to lower performance beliefs, they can compensate for this disadvantage by applying a more modest writing style and by providing more informative written self-promotion. Finally, we show that the provision of self-promotion can mitigate pre-existing gender biases. |
| Keywords: | Gender bias, self-promotion, real-effort, experiment |
| JEL: | C9 M51 J16 D91 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:han:dpaper:dp-737 |
| By: | Antonio Cabrales; Lorenzo Ductor; Ericka Rascón-Ramírez; Ismael Rodriguez-Lara |
| Abstract: | Women often find themselves in teams that hinder their productivity and earnings. We analyze the role of homophily and gender stereotypes in preferences for team formation and examine the effect of information on changing these preferences. We find that women are expected to perform better in female-type tasks (such as text and emotion-recognition). However, people prefer forming teams with their same gender. Our findings suggest that information can mitigate -but it does not eliminate- the influence of homophily on team formation. |
| Keywords: | gender differences, expectations, collaboration, network formation, team production |
| JEL: | C91 D03 D60 D81 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11706 |
| By: | Justin Valasek; Weijia Wang; Justin Mattias Valasek |
| Abstract: | The experimental literature on preferences for redistribution has established that individual perceptions of what earning distributions are fair depend greatly on context. In this paper, we study an important and novel dimension of context: whether the choice to redistribute occurs before workers work and accrue earnings, or after. Contrary to the predictions of our theoretical framework, we find no evidence that spectators are less likely to equalize earnings ex ante than to equalize earnings ex post. Interestingly, our study also suggests that, relative to American subjects, Scandinavian subjects are more likely to equalize ex post earnings, but we find no evidence that Scandinavian and American subjects make different choices ex ante. A follow-up analysis suggests that the latter result is largely due to Scandinavian and American subjects having similar preferences over ex ante redistribution when equalizing earnings comes at a cost to efficiency. Overall, our results suggest that context-dependent preferences for redistribution are sensitive to the relative timing of the redistribution choice. |
| Keywords: | inequality, fairness, institutions, experiment. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11804 |
| By: | Margaret Samahita (Department of Economics and Geary Institute for Public Policy, University College Dublin); Martina Zanella (Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the gender influence gap in an academic setting, focusing on the Irish Economic Association (IEA) Conference review process. Using data from 2017 to 2023, we analyze whether organizers follow the recommendations of male and female reviewers equally and whether any difference can be attributed to a gender gap in the confidence of reviewers. Our findings reveal that organizers' decisions more closely align with male reviewers', particularly when the reviewer's confidence is high and when they have experience in the profession. The influence gap cannot be explained by female reviewers being less confident than males, which is the traditional explanation in the literature. Contrary to expectations, female reviewers report higher confidence than males. We explore potential mechanisms and find suggestive evidence that female reviewers strategically overstate their confidence in anticipation of discriminatory treatment by organizers. |
| Keywords: | discrimination; confidence; economics; strategic response |
| JEL: | J16 A14 D91 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tcd:tcduee:tep0325 |
| By: | Anna Matysiak (University of Warsaw); Daniele Vignoli (Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti", Universita' di Firenze) |
| Abstract: | This paper addresses whether women's employment in the 21st century remains a barrier to family formation, as it was in the 1980s and 1990s, or—similar to men's—it has become a prerequisite for childbearing. We address this question through a systematic quantitative review (meta-analysis) of empirical studies conducted in Europe, North America and Australia. We selected 94 studies published between 1990-2023 (N=572 effect sizes). Our analysis uncovers a fundamental shift in the relationship between women's employment and fertility. What was once a strongly negative association has become statistically insignificant in the 2000s and 2010s—and even turned positive in the Nordic countries and parts of Western Europe (France, Belgium, and the Netherlands). This shift is evident both among childless women and mothers and has occurred across all analyzed country clusters, except in the German/Southern European group, where the relationship has remained negative. These findings challenge longstanding assumptions about work-family trade-offs and suggest a reconfiguration of the economic and social conditions underpinning fertility decisions in contemporary high-income societies. The paper calls for a reconceptualization of the employment-fertility relationship and development of a new theoretical framework that better captures these evolving dynamics in contemporary high-income societies. |
| Keywords: | Women's employment; Fertility; High-income countries; Meta-analysis |
| JEL: | J13 J01 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fir:econom:wp2025_02 |
| By: | Hochleitner, Anna (Norwegian School of Economics at Bergen (NHH)); Tufano, Fabio (University of Leicester); Facchini, Giovanni (University of Nottingham); Rueda, Valeria (University of Nottingham); Eberhardt, Markus (University of Nottingham) |
| Abstract: | We study the gendered impact of recommendations at different stages of the hiring process. First, using a large sample of reference letters from the academic job market for economists, we document that women receive fewer `ability' and more `grindstone' letters. Next, we conduct two experiments --- with academic economists and a broader, college-educated, population ---analyzing both recommendation and recruitment stages. These confirm that recommendations are gendered and impact recruitment. We elicit gender views and beliefs about the effectiveness of different letter types, uncovering that gender attitudes and strategic behavior based on erroneous beliefs explain referees’ choices. Finally, we decompose gender recruitment gaps into two components: one capturing differences in treatment of candidates with identical qualities, the other reflecting recruiters’ failure to account for gendered patterns in recommendations. We show that recruiters' failure to recognize the gendered nature of reference letters undermines visible efforts to improve diversity in hiring. |
| Keywords: | gender, recruitment, diversity, experiments |
| JEL: | J16 A11 D9 |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17813 |
| By: | Tani, Massimiliano (University of New South Wales); Vivarelli, Marco (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore); Piva, Mariacristina (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore) |
| Abstract: | Labor mobility is considered a powerful channel to acquire external knowledge and trigger complementarities in the innovation and R&D investment strategies; however, the extant literature has focused on either scientists’ mobility or migration of high-skilled workers, while virtually no attention has been devoted to the possible role of short-term business visits. Using a unique and novel database originating a country/sector unbalanced panel over the period 1998-2019 (for a total of 8, 316 longitudinal observations), this paper aims to fill this gap by testing the impact of BVs on R&D investment. Results from GMM-SYS estimates show that short-term mobility positively and significantly affects R&D investments; moreover, our findings indicate - as expected - that the beneficial impact of BVs is particularly significant in less innovative countries and in less innovative industries. These outcomes justify some form of support for BVs within the portfolio of the effective innovation policies, both at the national and local level. |
| Keywords: | knowledge transfer, labor mobility, business visits, R&D investments |
| JEL: | O3 O40 J60 |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17806 |
| By: | Demirci, Mustafa Can; Yucel, Mustafa Eray |
| Abstract: | This paper quantitatively examines the refugee absorption/integration rates across Türkiye’s 81 provinces while considering the geographical and economic features of each of the 81 provinces. The study mainly focuses on the distribution of Syrian refugees under temporary protection in Türkiye after the 2011 Syrian Civil War and develops an array of econometric models to understand the spatial distribution of refugees. Subsequently, the over-absorbing provinces (the provinces that host more than their model-suggested ideal capacity) and under-absorbing provinces (the provinces that host less than their model-suggested ideal capacity) are highlighted along with a road map for future research venues. |
| Keywords: | Syria; Civil war; Refugee; Temporary protection; Socio-economic absorption; Turkey; Türkiye |
| JEL: | C51 I38 J15 J61 |
| Date: | 2025–04–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:124448 |
| By: | Elbro, Carsten (University of Copenhagen); Kristensen, Nicolai (VIVE - The Danish Centre for Applied Social Science); Skov, Peter Rohde (Rockwool Foundation Intervention Unit) |
| Abstract: | Many studies have documented that a phonics approach is an essential component in the teaching of reading for beginning readers, especially for students at risk of reading disabilities. We study whether phonics approaches, as indicated by the choice of basal readers (materials for the initial teaching of reading) in Grade 1, have long-term effects on adult education levels and labour market outcomes 23 years later. The study shows evidence of a causal link between the choice of basal reader in primary school and school results at the end of lower secondary school as well as labour market outcomes at age 30. Choosing a basal reader that is easily compatible with a phonics approach is a highly cost-effective policy choice. |
| Keywords: | long-term outcomes, basal reader, reading |
| JEL: | H52 I28 I38 J13 |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17815 |
| By: | Francesco Chiocchio (Centro de Estudios Monetarios y Financieros (CEMFI)); Jeremy Greenwood (University of Pennsylvania); Nezih Guner (Centro de Estudios Monetarios y Financieros (CEMFI)); Karen A. Kopecky (Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland) |
| Abstract: | At the onset of COVID-19, U.S. labor-force participation dropped by about 3 percentage points and remained below pre-pandemic levels three years later. Recovery varied across states, with slower rebounds in those more affected by the pre-pandemic opioid crisis, as measured by age- adjusted opioid overdose death rates. An event study shows that a one-standard-deviation increase in pre-COVID opioid death rates corresponds to a 0.9 percentage point decline in post- COVID labor participation. The result is not driven by differences in overall health between states. The effect of prior opioid exposure had a more significant impact on individuals without a college degree. The slow recovery in states with more opioid exposure was characterized by an increase in individuals who are not in the labor force due to disability. |
| Keywords: | Covid, opioids, labor-force participation |
| JEL: | I14 J11 J12 J21 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eag:rereps:41 |
| By: | Millimet, Daniel L. (Southern Methodist University); Whitacre, Travis (Yale University) |
| Abstract: | Geographic disparities in mortality rates in the US are pronounced and growing. The Black-White mortality gap is volatile but persistent, while the Rich-Poor mortality gap is increasing dramatically. While the causes of these inequalities are not understood, recent attention has focused on the role of place-specific factors. Here, we explore the importance of politics as a place-specific factor contributing to spatial inequality in mortality. Specifically, we test for the existence of partisan mortality cycles using panel data on counties from 1968-2016 and information on the political ideology of state and federal political officials. We confirm the existence of partisan mortality cycles, finding lower mortality in counties governed by more liberal political regimes. Several sources of heterogeneity are also uncovered. While additional research is needed, the analysis here suggests that analyses of spatial, racial, and income differences in mortality ought to start with the political system. |
| Keywords: | geographic disparities, ideology, mortality, political cycles |
| JEL: | I10 I18 J10 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17824 |
| By: | Björn Bos; Moritz A. Drupp; Lutz Sager |
| Abstract: | Low emission zones (LEZ) represent a key environmental policy instrument to address air pollution in cities. LEZs have reduced air pollution and associated health damages in regulated areas, but it remains unclear who has benefited from cleaner air. To examine the distributional effects of LEZs, we combine gridded data on resident characteristics, including income and a proxy for ethnicity, with high-resolution estimates of fine particle (PM2.5) concentrations in Germany, the country with the highest number of LEZs. We estimate heterogeneous treatment effects with a difference-in-differences approach and show that PM2.5 pollution reductions are distributed unequally across society. While residents with German name origins experience larger improvements within LEZs, residents with foreign names disproportionately live in LEZs and thus benefit more when assessed at a nationwide scale. Monetizing air quality benefits following governmental guidance, we find that they are distributed pro-poor within LEZs, disproportionately benefiting lower-income residents. From a nationwide perspective, benefits are distributed almost proportionally although the sign is sensitive to how benefits from cleaner air scale with income. Overall, our results suggest that LEZs have nuanced distributional implications that differ sharply between a national perspective and local assessments that focus on effects within LEZs. |
| Keywords: | air pollution, distributional effects, low emission zones, traffic regulation |
| JEL: | J15 Q52 Q53 Q58 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11739 |