Work and Family

Building on the research tradition of the “Overall Evaluation of Marriage- and Family-Related Benefits in Germany” (Böhmer et al., 2014), this project investigates key family policy issues using modern methods of empirical causal analysis. The project is based on a new data product, AID:A-ADIAB 7523, which links survey data from AID:A with administrative data from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB). This linkage creates numerous new research opportunities at the intersection of labor market and family research, which will be developed within the framework of this research project. 

The innovation is based on the fact that administrative data can only rarely combine information on mothers with information on fathers or even information on children. Although the AID:A survey data provide this family context (including extensive information on the organization of family life and family well-being), they lack specific employment-related content (such as employment history and precise income data over the life course). The research focus of the project is on the interplay between families and the labor market. The primary aim here is to conduct evaluation studies of family-related reforms, such as the parental allowance reforms in Germany. The results will be used to show the effects on parents' use of time, lifestyle, as well as their employment and earnings histories. Specifically, quasi-experimental policy evaluation methods will be employed to estimate causal effects.

Reference

Michael Böhmer, Oliver Ehrentraut, Andreas Heimer, Melanie Henkel, Nina Ohlmeier, Katharina Poschmann, Sabrina Schmutz und Johannes Weisser (2014): Gesamtevaluation der ehe- und familienbezogenen Maßnahmen und Leistungen in Deutschland (PDF). Endbericht. Berlin.