Selected Work in Progress:
The Untold Story of Internal Migration in Germany: Life-cycle Patterns, Developments, and the Role of Education
with Anton Barabasch, Guido Heineck, and Kamila Cygan-Rehm
This paper examines internal migration from a lifetime perspective using unique data on detailed residential biographies of individuals born in Germany between 1944 and 1986. We first describe life-cycle patterns of internal mobility and potential differences across space, time, and socio-demographic groups. We find substantial differences across the life course, with major location changes around important educational decisions and striking differences across groups, especially by educational attainment. We then investigate causality in the substantial education-mobility gradient. For identification, we exploit two policy-induced sources of variation, each shifting towards better education at a different margin of the ability distribution. Using a difference-in-differences and regression discontinuity design, we find no effect of these policies on internal mobility.
Empty Class to Empty Streets? The Effect of Permanent School Closures on Regional Economic Development and Voting Behaviour
with Marcel Helbig
Due to demographic changes, rising cost of infrastructure maintenance and educational reforms, many countries are permanently closing down schools. Schools are important aspects of infrastructure, not only for increasing human capital and supporting parental participation in the labour market, but also for enabling cultural participation by providing spaces for sport clubs and events. We provide evidence on the effect of permanent school closures of German grammar schools and elementary schools on the effect of voting behaviour. Using an event-study design, we find an increase in right-fringe vote share, a decrease in left-fringe vote share, and an increase in overall voter turnout. We show that above changes in voting behaviour might stem from both, self-perceived cultural deterioration and changes in demographics