Social policy and labor supply: The impact of activating labor market institutions on reservation wage

Fuchs B, Prechsl S, Wolbring T (2021)


Publication Language: English

Publication Status: Submitted

Publication Type: Other publication type

Future Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2021

URI: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/mzd2r/

DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/mzd2r

Abstract

Activation is still an efficacious policy paradigm in modern welfare states. Taking the case of Germany, we study the relationship between the embeddedness of benefit recipients in activating labor market institutions and individual labor supply. Using panel data, we estimate the effects of transitions between key institutional states with different degrees of activation on reservation wages. We show that reservation wages react to activation: the transition from gainful employment to unemployment benefit receipt leads to an average decrease of 3.1 percent in reservation wages. The transition from gainful employment to  welfare benefit receipt – an institutional state with far more rigorous activation – leads to a stronger  decrease of 4.9 percent. Mediation analyses show that the income associated with different institutional  states is the predominant mechanism that drives the effect on reservation wages. However, subjective  social status also partly mediates the effect. Implications of these findings for active labor market policies  are discussed.

Authors with CRIS profile

Related research project(s)

How to cite

APA:

Fuchs, B., Prechsl, S., & Wolbring, T. (2021). Social policy and labor supply: The impact of activating labor market institutions on reservation wage.

MLA:

Fuchs, Benjamin, Sebastian Prechsl, and Tobias Wolbring. Social policy and labor supply: The impact of activating labor market institutions on reservation wage. 2021.

BibTeX: Download