Research
Publications (peer-reviewed)
Pension reform preferences in Germany: Does information matter? (joint with Silke Uebelmesser, Ronja Baginski and Carmela Aprea) - European Journal of Political Economy 80, 2023, 102476.
Abstract: Demographic change has an impact on pay-as-you-go pension systems. To maintain their financial sustainability, reforms are necessary, but often lack public support. Using representative survey data from Germany, we conduct a survey experiment to investigate whether salience or information about demographic change increases preferences for reforms in general and for specific reform measures. We find that salience and information provision increase the perceived necessity for reforms. Furthermore, salience increases preferences for raising the retirement age over other reform measures, while information provision reduces preferences for tax subsidies. In addition, we highlight the impact of prior beliefs on the treatment effects. As the salience and information treatments hardly differ, we conclude that it is not so much the information about the demographic change, which matters. Rather, being made aware of the challenges facing the pension system affects reform preferences.
Working Paper
Beliefs about the Gender Pension Gap - Jena Economics Research Papers 2024-004.
Abstract: I conduct an online survey of 3,000 respondents in the United States to examine individuals' beliefs about the gender pension gap. By including an information provision experiment in which treated respondents are informed about the size of the gender pension gap, I examine whether receiving this information affects respondents' perceptions of the fairness and drivers of the gender pension gap and their support for policies aimed at reducing it. I find that most respondents underestimate the gender pension gap and that treated respondents are less likely to perceive the gender pension gap as fair. In addition, treated respondents perceive the unequal distribution of care work and gender differences in wages as more important drivers of the gap, and their demand for remedial policies such as targeted financial education increases significantly. In terms of heterogeneity, I find that female respondents are generally less affected by the treatment than male respondents when asked about their policy views, although the treatment affects male and female respondents' beliefs and perceptions about the gender pension gap similarly.
Gender inequality over the life cycle, information provision and policy preferences (joint with Alessandra Casarico and Silke Uebelmesser) - CESifo Working Paper No. 10916.
Abstract: We conduct a survey experiment with four thousand German respondents and provide information on two measures of gender inequality, separately or jointly: the gender gap in earnings and the gender gap in pensions. We analyze the effect of information provision on respondents' views on the importance of reducing gender inequality and on their agreement with the adoption of policies targeted at different stages of the life cycle and aimed at reducing the gaps. We find that providing information on both gaps changes perceptions of the importance of reducing gender inequality and adopting policy measures to this end. Information on only one gap tends to have insignificant effects. By exploring the mechanisms behind our results, we provide insights into the importance of individual views on female disadvantages in the labor market, personal experience of inequality, and social norms as correlates of preferences for reducing gender inequality and policy interventions. We also show that information provision has larger effects on women and young respondents, while treatment effects do not differ by political leaning. These individual characteristics also relate to differences in identifying causes of gender inequality.
Beliefs about demographic change: How well are individuals informed? (joint with Elisa Stumpf, Silke Ueblemsser, Ronja Baginski and Carmela Aprea) - Jena Economics Research Papers 2024-003. Revise & Resubmit at the Journal of Pension Economics and Finance
Abstract: Demographic change is one of Germany's most pressing social and economic challenges. Using data from a representative telephone survey, we analyze how well informed respondents are about the magnitude of demographic change and what factors influence the accuracy of their beliefs. We find that respondents tend to overestimate the old-age dependency ratio when considering the current and long-term demographic situation separately. However, their beliefs regarding the change of the old-age dependency ratios over the considered period are not far from the projected demographic change. A better understanding of the German statutory pension insurance plays an important role for more accurate beliefs.
The Women in Economics Index - Monitoring women economists' representation in leadership positions (joint with Virginia Sondergeld and Insa Weilage) - DIW Discussion Papers 2076.
Abstract: We contribute to the research on gender representation in economics by documenting the share of women among economists in a variety of leadership positions in the academic, but also in the private and public sectors, both globally and by region. For the years 2019 to 2023, we find women economists’ representation overall to be low in all sectors and no clear-cut trends over time. In academia, we find women’s representation to be highest in Africa and Oceania, an observation that previous studies could not show so far as they analysed global top departments and thus mechanically focused on North America and Europe. Also for the public sector, we highlight significant regional discrepancies.
Work in Progress
Financial literacy and confidence - an information provision experiment (joint with Julia Peter, AEA RCT Registry)
Policy Reports (in German)
Coronakrise: Auswirkungen auf die finanziellen Entscheidungen und Folgen für die Altersvorsorge (joint with Silke Uebelmesser, Ronja Baginski and Carmela Aprea) - DIFIS Impuls 2023/11