Browsing Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) by Year Published
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Poutvaara, Panu; Tuomala, Juha; Jordahl, Henrik (København, 2008)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: In a recent paper, García-Mainar and Montuenga-Gómez [Econ. Edu. Rev. 24 (2005)] apply the generalized IV model of Hausman and Taylor to estimate education returns of wage earners and the self-employed in Portugal and in Spain. Our examination reveals several problems which relate to the validity and documentation of the instrumental variables, as well as the robustness of the results. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7712 Files in this item: 1
dp 2008-14.pdf (101.6Kb) -
Hagen Jørgensen, Ole (København, 2008)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper shows how improved health conditions aect fertility decisions and economic growth. Survival rates for children and adults are incorporated into an overlapping generations model featuring endogenous fertility and altruism from workers towards their retired parents. The main nding is that a simultaneous increase in child and adult survival decreases fertility and increases savings and productivity growth. The analysis illustrates the key role of health in the demographic transition. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7695 Files in this item: 1
dp 2008-04.pdf (1.563Mb) -
Koskela, Erkki; Poutvaara, Panu (København, 2008)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: In European Welfare States, low-skilled workers are typically unionized, while the wage formation of high-skilled workers is more competitive. To focus on this aspect, we analyze how flexible international outsourcing and labour taxation affect wage formation, employment and welfare in dual domestic labour markets. Higher productivity of outsourcing, lower cost of outsourcing and lower factor price of outsourcing increase wage dispersion between the high-skilled and low-skilled workers. Increasing wage tax progression of low-skilled workers decreases the wage rate and increases the labour demand of low-skilled workers. It decreases the welfare of lowskilled workers and increases both the welfare of high-skilled workers and the profit of firms. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7696 Files in this item: 1
dp 2008-15.pdf (183.1Kb) -
Hagen Jørgensen, Ole (København, 2008)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Using a stochastic overlapping generations model with endogenous labour supply, this paper studies the design and performance of a policy rule for the retirement age in response to fertility and mortality shocks. Two main results are derived: First, to oset a change in the labour force the retirement age should adjust more than proportionally to the fertility change and, second, to be socially desirable the retirement age should be indexed less than proportionally to changes in life expectancy. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7688 Files in this item: 1
dp 2008-03.pdf (361.1Kb) -
Do Police Reduce Group Violence?Priks, Mikael; Poutvaara, Panu (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
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Konsekvenserne for løn og beskæftigelseMunch, Jakob Roland; Rose Skaksen, Jan; Malchow-Møller, Nikolaj (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
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Munch, Jakob Roland; Rose Skaksen, Jan; Malchow-Møller, Nikolaj (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: While immigration is unlikely to affect the employment of native workers in the long run, employment of immigrants may be associated with significant short-run adjustment costs for native workers as they have to fi nd alternative employment or are temporarily pushed into unemployment. In this paper, we therefore study the impact of immigrants at the workplace on the employment of native co-workers using a rich matched worker-fi rm data set for Denmark. Estimation of a single risk duration model for job spells of native workers shows that job separation rates increase if more immigrants are hired, especially when it comes to immigrants from Eastern Europe and less developed countries (LDCs). Furthermore, in a competing risks duration model, we fi nd that while immigrants from LDCs increase the unemployment risk for native workers, immigrants from Eastern Europe instead increase the job change probability of native workers. Thus, adjustment costs for native workers are more likely in the case where LDC immigrants are hired. Finally, we fi nd that the results only apply for low-skilled native workers. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7510 Files in this item: 1
wp17-2007.pdf (729.2Kb) -
Poutvaara, Panu (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper analyzes educational choices and political support for subsidies to higher education in the presence of a time-consistency problem in income redistribution. There may be political support for so generous subsidization that it motivates the median voter to obtain higher education. As a result of increasing own income, the median voter prefers in the future lower taxes than without higher education. Therefore, the expansion of participation in higher education during the second half of the 20th century may have partly been driven by the aim to limit the political support for overly generous income redistribution. education, time-consistency problem, voting, subsidies to education URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7684 Files in this item: 1
artikel 17.pdf (191.4Kb) -
The Effect on Transitional GenerationsKoethenbuerger, Marko; Poutvaara, Panu (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: We show that taxation of rents may yield an intergenerational Pareto-improvement in a small open economy provided tax revenues are earmarked to reduce wage taxes. Previous literature has shown that rent taxation benefits current young and future generations, while we show that it also benefits the current old generation when the initially prevailing tax mix is sufficiently skewed towards wage taxation. Rent Taxes, Capitalization, Transitional Dynamics, Labor Supply, Asset Prices. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7685 Files in this item: 1
artikel 08.pdf (154.1Kb) -
Country-of-Origin or End-Use of Products.Sørensen, Anders (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper investigates the empirical consequences for the relationship between skill upgrading and internationalization by decomposing import after country-of-origin and after the end-use of products. I find that the break-down after country-of-origin is of crucial importance, implying that international trade with low-wage countries leads to comprehensive skill upgrading, whereas international trade with high-wage countries leads to skill downgrading in Danish Manufacturing. The empirical literature on skill-upgrading and internationalization has mainly focused on international outsourcing and has to a large extent disregarded import penetration. By splitting import after country-of-origin, this reintroduces import penetration as an important explanation for skill upgrading. skill upgrading, import, country-of-origin, end-use of products URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7686 Files in this item: 1
artikel 19.pdf (143.0Kb) -
Malchow-Møller, Nikolaj; Munch, Jakob Roland; Schroll, Sanne; Rose Skaksen, Jan (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: In this paper, we use data from the first two rounds of the European Social Survey to analyze the extent to which differences in average attitudes towards immigration across the EU-15 countries may be explained by differences in socioeconomic characteristics and individually perceived consequences of immigration, using an extension of a decomposition technique developed by Fairlie (2005). We find that despite the significant effects of socioeconomic characteristics on attitudes, differences in the distributions of these characteristics can only explain a modest share of the cross-country variation in average attitudes. A larger part can be explained by differences in perceived consequences of immigration, but the main part is still left unexplained. Apart from providing useful input for policy makers working in the area of immigration policy, this raises a number of questions for further research for which the ESS data can be successfully applied. Attitudes, Immigration, Cross-country differences URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7687 Files in this item: 1
artikel 05.pdf (511.8Kb) -
Could Prosperity Backfire?Priks, Mikael; Poutvaara, Panu (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Empirical evidence reveals that unemployment tends to increase property crime but that it has no effect on violent crime. To explain these facts, we examine a model of criminal gangs and suggest that there is a substitution effect between property crime and violent crime at work. In the model, non-monetary valuation of gang membership is private knowledge. Thus the leaders face a trade-off between less crime per member in large gangs and more crime per member in small gangs. Unemployment increases the relative attractiveness of large and less violent gangs engaging more in property crime. Violence, Crime, Gangs, Unemployment, Identity URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7692 Files in this item: 1
artikel 13.pdf (172.5Kb) -
Schneider, Cédric (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to study the determinants of the outcomes of patent applications (withdrawal, refusal or grant). The application process at the European Patent O¢ ce is modelled in three stages, using a Trivariate Probit model with double selectivity correction in order to test whether the applicants patenting history has an eect on the outcome of the current application. I investigate the behavior of the applicant after the patent o¢ ce has established the "state of the art", a precondition to an invention being patentable. The main results are (i) rms with large patents portfolios act following a "trial and error" strategy, by applying for large numbers of patents and thereafter waiting for the patent o¢ ce s nal decision when the expected probability of grant is high, (ii) the technological importance of a patent is a crucial determinant of a successful application grant, (iii) a withdrawal is to be regarded as an expected refusal, since applicants tend to withdraw their applications when there is evidence that the inventions cannot be considered to be novel or to involve an inventive step. patents, intellectual property rights URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7693 Files in this item: 1
artikel 12.pdf (278.2Kb) -
Hougaard Jensen, Svend E.; Hagen Jørgensen, Ole (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Under existing welfare arrangements, an increase in life expectancy may pose a serious threat to fiscal sustainability, and it may have dramatic effects on the intergenerational distribution of welfare. This paper finds that such effects may be countered through a policy which links the retirement age to changes in life expectancy. Fiscal Policy, Longevity Adjustment, Ageing, Pensions,Welfare Reform. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7694 Files in this item: 1
artikel 03.pdf (310.6Kb) -
Rose Skaksen, Jan; Malchow-Møller, Nikolaj; Aastrup Jensen, Claus (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: We set up a theoretical model to analyze the implications of coordination of immigration policies among destination countries. The model contains two types of spill-overs between destination countries: A terms of trade externality and a welfare policy externality. We show that while coordination unambiguously increases welfare of the destination countries, the effects on the level of immigration and on the income distribution of natives are ambiguous. Thus, coordination among destination countries does not necessarily solve the global coordination problem of inoptimally low levels of migration. Coordination, Externalities, Immigration Policy, Spill-overs, Terms of Trade, Welfare. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7698 Files in this item: 1
artikel 15.pdf (289.0Kb) -
Kolm, Ann-Sofie; Nielsen, Søren Bo (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: To examine the effects on labor market performance of government tax and enforcement policies, this paper develops an equilibrium model featuring tax evasion, matching frictions, and worker-firm wage bargains. In the wage bargains, workers and firms can agree on the amount of remuneration that should not be reported to the tax authorities. We find that increased taxation actually reduces unemployment, whereas more zealous enforcement has the opposite effect. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7699 Files in this item: 1
artikel 10.pdf (464.6Kb) -
le Maire, Daniel; Schjerning, Bertel (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper investigates the relationship between self-employment choice, expected earnings, and uncertainty. Several interesting results emerge from our analysis on Danish longitudinal register data: Firstly, self-employed (taxable) personal income bunch at kink points in the tax system since self-employed can retain earnings and thereby transfer income across tax-years. Secondly, expected income level and income variance are important determinants in choice of occupation. Thirdly, men put more emphasis on expected earnings level, while women appears more risk averse, which contribute to explain why fewer women are self-employed. Finally, our results suggest that non-western immigrants are marginalized into self-employment. Occupational choice, self-employment, wage-dierentials, income uncertainty, risk aversion, overcon dence, self-selection, gender dierences. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7701 Files in this item: 1
artikel 04.pdf (261.1Kb) -
Poutvaara, Panu; Siemers, Lars (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: We study the social interaction of non-smokers and smokers as a sequential game, incorporating insights from social psychology and experimental economics into an economic model. Social norms a®ect human behavior such that non-smokers do not ask smokers to stop smoking and stay with them, even though disutility from smoking exceeds utility from social interaction. Overall, smoking is unduly often accepted when accommodating smoking is the social norm. The introduction of smoking and non-smoking areas does not overcome this speci¯c ine±ciency. We conclude that smoking bans may represent a required (second-best) policy. smoking policy, health, social norms, guilt aversion, social interaction URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7702 Files in this item: 1
artikel 14.pdf (283.5Kb) -
Munch, Jakob Roland; Rose Skaksen, Jan; Malchow-Møller, Nikolaj (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: We propose a complementary approach to analyze the impact of immigration on the wages of native workers. Using linked employer-employee data from Denmark for a relatively long time period (1993-2004), we study the consequences of an increased use of immigrants at the most disaggregate level – the workplace. We find that an increase in the share of workers from less developed countries at the workplace has a signifi cantly negative effect on the wages of natives – also when controlling for potential endogeneity using both fi xed effects and IV. The use of immigrants from more developed countries also appears to be correlated with wages. However, these correlations disappear when controlling for unobserved fi rm and worker characteristics and are thus likely to reflect selection rather than a causal effect of these immigrants. Finally, we find a positive impact on the wages of native workers from having Eastern European co-workers. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7638 Files in this item: 1
wp18-2007.pdf (697.2Kb) -
Määttänen, Niku; Poutvaara, Panu (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: We study the welfare effects of earnings testing flat-rate old-age benefits in a quantitative overlapping generations model with idiosyncratic labor income risk. In our model economy, even a moderate earnings testing reduces individuals’ expected lifetime utility, whenever other taxes are taken into account. Moreover, it also lowers the realized lifetime utilities of those at the bottom of the lifetime utility distribution. Social security; Retirement; Means-testing URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7705 Files in this item: 1
artikel 09.pdf (315.4Kb)