IZA - Electronic Archive

We invite all interested researchers to submit papers for acceptance to the following conferences:

• Third IZA/SOLE TransAtlantic Meeting of Labor Economists (June 3-6, 2004): This annual meeting underscores the prominent role of international labor market research in Europe as well as the United States. IZA invites members of the Society of Labor Economists (SOLE) to meet with European researchers. Papers on all aspects of labor economics are welcome.
  Submission deadline: January 31, 2004.
• IZA Workshop: The Nature of Discrimination (June 1, 2004): This workshop provides a forum to present papers at the stage of early drafts that analyze about the meaning of discrimination or measure the relative importance of its sources, but that do not only do the usual earnings decompositions from standard Mincer-type equations.
  Submission deadline: January 15, 2004.

H.-O. Henkel, M. Herfurth, M. Kohli, K. F. Zimmermann

At the presentation of "Arbeit in einer alternden Gesellschaft" (Labor in an Aging Society), a book co-edited by IZA, Hans-Olaf Henkel underscored the high relevance of this topic beyond pension policymaking. Henkel is President of the Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, an influential umbrella organization of German research institutes. He called for the abolishment of the official retirement age in favor of raising or cutting pensions based on the time of retirement. Employers should adopt a more foresighted hiring policy. IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann joined Henkel in recommending to eliminate special layoff protection rules for older employees and to scrutinize the seniority principle in wage-setting. Both factors constitute employment obstacles for older job-seekers.

Martin Kohli, renowned sociologist and co-editor of the book, criticized the "corporatist triangle" of politicians, unions and employers that has led to the widespread practice of early retirement in Germany. He pointed at the high productivity of older workers, which should be sustained especially in an aging society - even after their professional lives.

The new book offers a comprehensive survey of research in sociology and economics with regard to the problems and trends in labor market participation of the elderly. It is a must read for anyone who wants to join the pension debate in Germany.

Matthias Herfurth/ Martin Kohli/ Klaus F. Zimmmermann (Hrsg.), Arbeit in einer alternden Gesellschaft. Problembereiche und Entwicklungstendenzen der Erwerbsbeteiligung Älterer, Opladen: Leske+Budrich 2003, 301 pages, EUR 24,90 (ISBN 3-8100-3861-4).

Editors' and authors' Statements: (only German)

• Martin Kohli, Co-Editor (PDF)


• Klaus F. Zimmermann, Co-Editor (PDF)


• Wolfgang Clemens, Co-Author (PDF)


• Harald Künemund, Co-Author (PDF)

IZA President Klaus Zumwinkel, CEO of Deutsche Post World Net, has been named "Manager of the Year 2003". The award committee of the highly reputed German monthly "manager magazin" announced this decision in November.

In its award statement the committee underlined that Zumwinkel succeeded in restructuring the German postal service, a formerly cumbersome government agency, into a profitable, expanding global company. Since Zumwinkel took office in 1990, Deutsche Post increased its revenue more than fourfold and its productivity per employee by more than 250 percent. Within a short period, Zumwinkel successfully transformed today's largest logistics group from a deficit-ridden entity into a highly profitable global player. In almost all nine rating categories he received the top score.

Also in November, Klaus Zumwinkel received the Heinrich-von-Stephan Medal from Germany's Economics Minister Wolfgang Clement in "recognition of his great service to the development of postal services in Germany." Since 1952 this award has been presented to outstanding persons from science, business, postal and telecommunication services. The medal was established in commemoration of the German postal reformer and co-founder of the Universal Postal Union, Heinrich von Stephan.

IZA congratulates its President on these two top awards.

Under the menu item "Links", IZA offers an online Who is Who in Labor Economics that currently contains information on almost 600 labor economists worldwide. The page now comes with a search function that allows you to search for a person by name, affiliation, research interests or publications.

If you are a labor economist not featured on the list, we encourage you to join via our online registration form. After we have verified your information, you will receive a personal login code to update or complete your profile.

IZA is actively searching for labor economists to complement its research team. Candidates with a recent Ph.D., some publications and excellent knowledge of econometrics as well as applied and policy-oriented labor issues are encouraged to submit their application.
Deadline: November 30, 2003.
More senior researchers are invited to apply for a Visiting Research Fellowship, which allows them to closely interact with the IZA staff and network while maintaining a focus on high-quality own research.
[... read more].

D. DeVoretz

IZA Research Fellow Don J. DeVoretz, a renowned expert in migration economics, has accepted the offer to become Willy Brandt Guest Professor 2004 at Malmö University, Sweden. Financed by the City of Malmö, the Willy Brandt professorship has been established at the university's "International Migration and Ethnic Relations" program (IMER) to strengthen and develop research in the field and to create close links to international migration research. The professorship is named after former German Chancellor Willy Brandt, who was a leading figure in the struggle for human rights and had strong ties with Scandinavia after having lived in Norway and Sweden during the Nazi regime in Germany.


Don DeVoretz is currently professor of economics at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby/Canada and has held various visiting appointments at the University of the Philippines, the University of Wisconsin, and the Norwegian School of Economics. He is also Co-Director of the RIIM Program "Immigration and Integration in the Metropolis", in which IZA participates as the partner research institute in Germany. While holding the Willy Brandt professorship, DeVoretz will also intensify ongoing research projects with IZA.

(click to enlarge)

IZA Research Associates René Fahr and Uwe Sunde, who received their Ph.D. from the University of Bonn while working at IZA as a Resident Research Affiliates, has now published their dissertations as books. Fahr's thesis is entitled "Occupational Mobility and Occupational Matching - Some Implications for Career Choice and Labor Market Policy" (ISBN 3-89825-678-2), while Sunde wrote on "Aggregate Returns to Individual Decisions – Development, Income Inequality and Competition for Jobs and Workers" (ISBN 3-631-51726-2). Both theses were supervised by IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann.

G. A. Pfann, K. F. Zimmermann

After two successful years as IZA Research Director, Gerard Pfann has returned to Maastricht University where he will continue to head the Business Investment Research Center (BIRC). As managing editor of the European Economic Review and co-organizer of the IZA/SOLE TransAtlantic Meeting of Labor Economists, he will continue to maintain close ties to IZA.

K. F. Zimmermann, A. Falk

IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann honored Pfann's contributions to stimulating IZA's research activities and establishing the IZA Prize in Labor Economics. New IZA Research Director as of October 2003 will be Armin Falk (currently University of Zurich), who has been appointed to a faculty position at the University of Bonn.

T. Bauer, K. F. Zimmermann

Dr. Thomas Bauer, IZA Program Director for the research area "Mobility and Flexibility of Labor", has accepted a professorship in economics at the Ruhr University Bochum starting in October 2003.

IZA Director Zimmermann honored Bauer's outstanding academic achievements and his contributions to establishing the IZA Summer School in Labor Economics as well as organizing the guest researcher's program and the IZA seminar series.

Presenting the IZA Prize 2003: Zimmermann, Zumwinkel, Ashenfelter, Card

IZA President Klaus Zumwinkel Presents Award
to U.S. Economist Orley C. Ashenfelter

Numerous German and international guests followed IZA’s invitation to the festively furbished Museum of Communication in Berlin to be present at the Official Award Ceremony for the IZA Prize in Labor Economics 2003, which went to the renowned American economist and labor market expert Orley Ashenfelter (Princeton University).

In his welcome address the CEO of Deutsche Post World Net and IZA President, Klaus Zumwinkel, emphasized the necessity for a sweeping modernization process in Germany. According to Zumwinkel, his company has been fulfilling its own obligations as one of the world’s biggest overall employers not least due to its high ratio of trainee programs and the sponsoring of IZA.

IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann criticized the reluctance of German labor administration institutions in the process of making data accessible for independent labor market research. Existing labor market policies would require a systematic evaluation in order to implement success oriented reforms where necessary.

In his laudation, David Card (University of California, Berkley) appreciated Orley Ashenfelter’s groundbreaking contributions to the field of labor market research. Card underlined Ashenfelter’s crucial role in laying the foundation for modern evaluation research and his influence on a whole generation of labor market researchers.

IZA Laureate Orley C. Ashenfelter

On the basis of his own research results, IZA Prize laureate Orley Ashenfelter showed the great benefits of an accurate analysis of labor market policy by using evaluation research as an instrument. Via the collection and analysis of data pertaining to participants in a labor market program as well as data from a comparable control group of non-participants, crucial insights into the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of respective labor market policies can be gained.

Click to view the speeches of Klaus Zumwinkel , Klaus F. Zimmermann (both only available in German) and
Orley Ashenfelter. More details on the IZA Prize in Labor Economics can be found here.

K. Troske, K. F. Zimmermann, D. Jaeger

After his successful 12-month research stay at IZA, Ken Troske (University of Missouri, Columbia) returns to the United States. Troske said he was impressed by the constantly high quality of IZA’s research work and the excellent working conditions at the institute. Besides his own research, he also acted as an important counselor for other IZA projects and enriched several IZA events and discussions with his presentations.

IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann was very pleased at the successful première of the IZA Visiting Research Fellowship. "This opportunity to spend an extended period of time at IZA demonstrates our close relationship with the American research community and commits renowned U.S. economists to our institute for future cooperation and joint projects. This should become a good tradition", said Zimmermann.

He welcomed David Jaeger (College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia), who was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship for his stay in Germany, as Troske’s successor. Jaeger, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1995, has worked for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and as a Visiting Professor at Princeton University. His research focuses on immigration and migration, education, job stability and mobility, and applied econometrics. His work has been published in the Journal of the American Statistical Association, the Review of Economics and Statistics, the Journal of Labor Economics, and Research in Labor Economics, among others.

M. Buchholz, A. Zeitz-Fehse, T. Meisen

As part of its own "active labor market policy", IZA has established two new high-quality apprenticeships in the areas of IT and office organization. Both vacancies were filled immediately. Trainees now make up a remarkable 10 percent of the IZA staff.

Manuela Buchholz started her 3-year apprenticeship as an office administrator for business communications in September. At IZA she will learn e.g. about office management, personnel administration, and accounting. Astrid Zeitz-Fehse joined IZA as an IT trainee in July. Her tasks include the maintenance of hardware and software as well as support for typesetting systems. Tim Meisen has completed his first year as an IT Trainee at IZA and has already proven to be a valuable addition to IZA's techsupport staff.

On July 28, IZA welcomed its renowned Research Fellows Barry and Carmel Chiswick (both University of Illinois, Chicago) for a research visit in Bonn.

IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann stressed the important role of the IZA Guest Researchers Program in establishing IZA as a central place of academic communication for international labor economists.

The IZA Prize in Labor Economics 2003 is awarded to one of the leading labor economists, Orley C. Ashenfelter, for his outstanding contributions to the field. IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann announced the decision of the IZA Prize Committee in Bonn on August 21, 2003. Among the members of the Committee are Nobel laureates George A. Akerlof, Gary S. Becker and James J. Heckman.

The official award ceremony will take place in Berlin on September 22, 2003, with a number of high-ranking guests from Germany and abroad. The Prize will be presented by Klaus Zumwinkel, CEO of Deutsche Post World Net and President of IZA.

[read more...]

Lucifora, Winter-Ebmer, Walker, Jensen, Falk

IZA has established an Advisory Committee to the European Summer School in Labor Economics, composed of representatives from some of Europe's leading institutions in economics: Peter Jensen (Aarhus School of Business, Denmark) representing the European Society for Population Economics (ESPE), Claudio Lucifora (Università Cattolica, Italy) for the European Association of Labour Economists (EALE), Rudolf Winter-Ebmer (University of Linz, Austria) for the Centre of Economic Policy Research (CEPR), and Ian Walker (University of Warwick, UK) for the European Economic Association (EEA). IZA Research Director Armin Falk (University of Bonn, Germany) will represent IZA in the Advisory Committee, whose contributions will further enhance the quality of the training provided by the Summer School.

Advanced graduate students from European universities, who are engaged in the preparation of a doctoral dissertation or approaching that stage, are invited to apply for the 7th IZA European Summer School in Labor Economics (April 19-25, 2004).
The objective of the Summer School is to bring together a large number of Ph.D. students and senior lecturers to study new areas in labor economics. Students have the opportunity to present their work and discuss ideas with established researchers in a relaxed and open atmosphere. Speakers at the upcoming Summer School will be Armin Falk ("Experimental Labor Economics") and Christian Belzil ("Empirical Labor Market Models with Dynamic Self-Selection").
Submission deadline is February 2, 2004 [more info].

In May 2003, IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann initiated an appeal to policymakers calling for a rapid implementation of the government coalition's "Agenda 2010" proposals to reform the German labor market. In this document, which was published and cited in major German newspapers, IZA calls for a cooperative effort of all political parties and interest groups to prove Germany's ability to embark on necessary reforms - even if the Agenda 2010 merely constitutes a first step.
As of mid-June, almost 300 renowned German (and German-based) economists have signed this appeal.
[more information in German]

Thea Dückert (MP, Green Party) spoke at the second IZA Tower Talk . The topic of the event was "Redefining Solidarity: Creating Fair Access to the Labor Market".

Thea Dückert is Vice Chair of the Green Party (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) in the German Bundestag. As her party's labor market expert, she commented on the government coalition's "Agenda 2010" proposals to reform the German labor market. She also explained how these reforms can strengthen individual responsibility while maintaining solidarity in society [view the report in German] [more information on the IZA Tower Talks].

Mario Monti, Head of the Directorate General for Competition of the European Commission, has appointed anti-trust expert Lars-Hendrik Röller (Humboldt University, WZB and IZA) as Chief Economist of his institution. After the recent reorganization of the EU anti-trust authority, Röller will face a number of great challenges. He will start his new post in September for a period of three years [view EU press release].

"Lars-Hendrik Röller is the ideal candidate for this important position. Under his leadership, the merger control efforts of the EU will no doubt be based on sound economic analysis," said IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann in response to this hiring decision. Röller has been an IZA Research Fellow since 1999 and heads the Research Unit "Competitiveness and Industrial Change" (CIC) at the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB). IZA congratulates Röller on his new assignment and wishes him the best of success.

After his successful habilitation at the University of Bonn under the supervision of IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann, IZA Program Director Thomas Bauer received an offer to join the Department of Economics at the Ruhr-University of Bochum, where he is supposed to assume a professorship in the next winter term. His habilitation thesis dealt with "Labor Market Effects of Flexible Workplace Systems: Evidence from Germany".

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Chaired by IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann, an external Review Committee of the CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, The Hague, presented its final report to the public on June 26, 2003. The high-ranked international expert committee evaluated the performance of CPB and identified possible areas for further improvement. CPB's main task is to provide independent economic analyses and forecasts that are relevant for policy decisions of government, parliament, and other societal organizations such as political parties, trade unions, and employers' associations.

"This external assessment gave us a unique opportunity not only to understand the functioning of CPB, but also the working of Dutch politics and the economic process in the country," said Zimmermann. He applauded CPB's effort to sharpen its strategy of scientific research and policy advice through a serious external evaluation, which "sets an example for other institutions in the field."

[Download the complete report in PDF format] - [Visit the CPB website]

The conference, which took place in Berlin from June 5-7, 2003, dealt with the latest theoretical and empirical developments on the Phillips curve. It investigated whether international research is nearing a new consensus on the interrelation between the real side of the economy (production, employment, unemployment, etc.) and the monetary side (money supply, interest rates, etc.). The implications for the formulation and conduct of monetary and fiscal policy are far-reaching. The conference brought together many of the world's leading authorities in this area [conference homepage].

IZA has been actively involved in this area of research. A recent project headed by IZA Program Director Dennis J. Snower offers a fresh perspective on the relation between inflation and unemployment. It calls into question the mainstream view that in the long run unemployment is independent of inflation. It suggests that expansionary monetary policy can reduce unemployment, at the expense of higher inflation, even in the long run. The theory is supported by a new appraisal of the empirical evidence. For a detailed description of the IZA research findings, view the most recent issue of IZA Compact (PDF document, 817KB).

Zimmermann, Fahr, Kräkel

René Fahr is the forth IZA Resident Research Affiliate who successfully completed his Ph.D. studies at the Bonn Graduate School of Economics (BGSE) in May 2003. His dissertation entitled "Occupational Mobility and Occupational Matching: Some Implications for Career Choice and Labor Market Policy" includes chapters on the demand for informal education and the evaluation of the German apprenticeship system when occupational mobility is important, as well as empirical investigations of mismatch unemployment in Germany. IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann and IZA Research Fellow Matthias Kräkel (University of Bonn) were part of the examination committee.

Pfann, Dohmen, Zimmermann, Palm

Thomas Dohmen, who has been an IZA Research Associate since January 2003, received his doctorate from the University of Maastricht also in May 2003. His thesis entitled "Internal Labor Markets: Theory and Evidence at the Firm Level" was supervised by IZA Research Director Gerard A. Pfann, who is also Director of BIRC at Maastricht University. Among the members of the examination committee were Franz C. Palm (University of Maastricht) and IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann.

IZA invites all Research Fellows to participate in the nomination process for the IZA Prize in Labor Economics 2003 via the online nomination system. The Prize is awarded for outstanding academic achievements in the field of labor economics and carries a cash award of €50,000. In 2002, the inaugural award went to Jacob Mincer (Columbia University, New York).

Along with IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann and IZA Research Director Gerard A. Pfann, the IZA Prize Committee includes three recipients of the Nobel Prize in Economics: George A. Akerlof (University of California, Berkeley), Gary S. Becker (University of Chicago) and James J. Heckman (University of Chicago).

The nomination period ends on May 31, 2003, after which the Prize Committee will reach its decision. The official award ceremony will take place in Berlin on September 22, 2003. Prior to the event, this year’s prize-winner will be publicly announced by IZA. For further information, please contact prize@iza.org.

After five years of successful cooperation with the University of Bonn, IZA’s sponsor – the Deutsche Post Foundation – has decided to renew its financial support of the Bonn Graduate School of Economics (BGSE) for another five years.

At the same time, IZA is intensifying its cooperation with the BGSE. With the beginning of the 2003 summer semester, IZA’s teaching activities at the BGSE will be expanded through additional courses offered by IZA staff members. The Graduate School will also continue to profit from IZA’s global network of Research Fellows: A number of renowned economists from around the world, who are visiting IZA through the Institute’s guest researchers program, discuss recent research findings and methods with junior economists in the IZA Research Seminar and the Bonn Economics Research Seminar at the University. In addition, IZA will play a vital role in improving the international composition of the Graduate School. IZA will continue to offer selected Ph.D. students a position as Resident Research Affiliates, which allows them to take full advantage of the IZA research and information infrastructure. Several students have already successfully completed their Ph.D. theses under the supervision of IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann (see article below and IZA Alumni).

This cooperation between IZA and the University of Bonn is exemplary of a fruitful relationship between public and private sector research and educational institutions.

Highly qualified students with a German Diploma or a foreign Masters Degree in economics or related fields, such as mathematics, statistics, business administration, accounting and finance, are encouraged to submit their applications to the Bonn Graduate School of Economics (BGSE). The Graduate School offers a full set of courses in microeconomics and macroeconomics, as well as applied econometrics.

IZA plays a central role in the BGSE doctoral education program (see related articles). The institute participates in the selection and supervision of Ph.D. students. On a regular basis, IZA also offers lectures and seminars in econometrics and labor economics. A limited number of BGSE students are invited to work at IZA as resident research affiliates.

The next possible date of admission to the Bonn Graduate School of Economics is October 1, 2003. Applications must arrive by May 15. The BGSE offers a limited number of grants. For further information see http://www.bgse.uni-bonn.de

K. F. Zimmermann, U. Sunde, M. Merz

Uwe Sunde, who has been a Resident Research Affiliate at IZA for two years, passed the final examination for his doctoral degree in February 2003. He will continue his work at IZA as a Research Associate. His research interests include search and matching, human capital formation and labor market flexibility. He will also coordinate IZA's teaching activities and cooperation with the University of Bonn.

As part of this cooperation, IZA offers several Ph.D. students from the Bonn Graduate School of Economics to participate in IZA activities and fully utilize the institute's resources as Resident Research Affiliates. Uwe Sunde was among those who have taken advantage of this opportunity. In his thesis he examined aggregate effects of individual education and search decisions in the context of long-term development, earnings inequality, and the patterns of job creation. Along with IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann, who supervised Sunde's thesis, Monika Merz and Matthias Kräkel (both University of Bonn and IZA) were part of the examination committee.

U. Schweizer, W. Schnedler, K. F. Zimmermann, M. Kräkel

Wendelin Schnedler, who spent two years as an IZA Resident Research Affliate until September 2002, has also passed his final doctoral exam in February. His thesis on "The Value of Information in Hidden Action Models" was supervised by IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann. Schnedler is currently a Research Fellow of the Leverhulme Centre for Market and Public Organisation (CMPO) at the University of Bristol. Among the first congratulators were Prof. Urs Schweizer from the Bonn Graduate School of Economics and Prof. Matthias Kräkel.

As an independent research institute, IZA not only offers scientifically founded policy advice but also wants to take this opportunity to provide a forum for constructive debates on labor market policy. The objective of this new event series is to stimulate the process of designing and implementing the necessary labor market reforms.

The IZA Tower Talks are aimed at a selected audience consisting of local and regional decision-makers from all areas of society. Participation is by invitation only (for more information please contact iza@iza.org)

According to Florian Gerster, head of the Federal Employment Services (Bundesanstalt für Arbeit), high labor costs are the main cause of ever-increasing unemployment in Germany. This is why Germany, compared to other countries, fails to create jobs even in times of economic growth. Gerster regards the reduction of labor costs as the central issue of German labor market reform.

Florian Gerster was the first guest of the new IZA Tower Talk event series, which takes place in the new "Post Tower" of Deutsche Post World Net - a venue that symbolizes the forward-looking, dynamic economic environment of the Bonn metro area.

In front of 200 invited guests, Gerster explained the future reform steps of the German job centers. The new structure of the Federal Employment Services is expected to be in place by the end of 2004. According to Gerster, more efficient job placement and more effective labor market policies will help reduce unemployment over the medium term.

Klaus F. Zimmermann has extended his contract as IZA Director for another five years. He reached this agreement with Deutsche Post World Net, IZA's main sponsor. One of Germany's most distinguished economists, Zimmermann will continue to head an institution that is unique among German research institutes.

Established in 1998 on an initiative by Deutsche Post, IZA enjoys the financial independence necessary to play a critical yet constructive role in labor market research and policy advice.

Klaus Zumwinkel, Deutsche Post CEO and IZA President, welcomed the agreement reached with Zimmermann and said he expects IZA to "continue its success story and keep up its active contribution to solving Germany's labor market problems."

IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann, who is also President of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and Economics Professor in Bonn and Berlin, praised Deutsche Post's continued support of labor market research as a great example of corporate citizenship and fruitful cooperation between business and science in times of empty public coffers. "IZA has established itself firmly in the national and international labor economics communities and will continue to make its voice heard in the future", Zimmermann said.

In cooperation with the Central Archive for Empirical Social Research (ZA), Cologne, IZA offers an international seminar on the "Empirical Analysis of Labor Markets". The event will take place in Cologne, Sep. 1-12, 2003.

The seminar is targeted mainly at postgraduate and doctoral students with a special focus on micro data from official statistics. Participants can choose one out of three courses in each of the two weeks. The first week will deal with theoretical and methodological aspects of labor market analysis, the second week with the analysis of selected labor market statistics [more information].
Application deadline: July 31, 2003.