Claus Schnabel | IZA@LISER Network

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Claus Schnabel

Claus Schnabel

Research Fellow

FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

claus.schnabel@fau.de

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Research Interests

absenteeism co-determination collective bargaining firm exits industrial relations monopsony newly founded firms unions wages works councils

Claus Schnabel has been professor of economics at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg since 2000. Since 2015, he is also research professor at the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH). He studied economics at Hohenheim University, Germany, and at the University of Kent at Canterbury, UK, where he received an M.A. in 1985. He received his doctoral degree in economics from Hohenheim University in 1988 and finished his habilitation at Ruhr University Bochum in 1997. From 1988 to 2000 he worked as researcher and finally as senior economist at the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft in Cologne.

His main research interests are in the fields of empirical labour economics and industrial relations. Currently, he works on the following topics: trade unions, collective bargaining, codetermination, and entrepreneurship. He has published widely in economics, industrial relations and other journals, including the Journal of International Economics, Journal of Labor Economics, Economic Journal, European Sociological Review, Industrial and Labor Relations Review and Labour Economics. He has also published a number of books and edited (with John T. Addison) the International Handbook of Trade Unions.

Claus Schnabel joined IZA as a Research Fellow in July 2006.

IZA Publications

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IZA Discussion Papers World of Labour Articles

IZA Discussion Paper No. 18153

Beyond Collective Agreements: The Rise of the Wage Cushion in Germany

André Rieder, Claus Schnabel

published in: LABOUR, 2026 (online)

IZA Discussion Paper No. 18097

The Digital Gender Divide in Germany: The Role of Preferences and Constraints in Digital Involvement and Wages

Martin Abraham, Luisa Wieser, Claus Schnabel, Cornelia Niessen, Sara Bergmann

IZA Discussion Paper No. 17615

Unions and Employers' Associations in Germany: A Survey of Their Membership, Density and Bargaining Coverage

Claus Schnabel

published in: Journal for Labour Market Research, 2025, 59, 7(2025)

IZA Discussion Paper No. 17005

The Demise of Works Councils in Germany

Susanne Kohaut, Claus Schnabel

published in: Industrielle Beziehungen (German Journal of Industrial Relations), 2025, 32(2), 5-28

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16604

Unionization of Retired Workers in Europe

Vinzenz Pyka, Claus Schnabel

published in: European Journal of Industrial Relations, 2025, 31 (1), 5-29

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16261

When Are Employers Interested in Electronic Performance Monitoring? Results from a Factorial Survey Experiment

Luisa Wieser, Martin Abraham, Claus Schnabel, Cornelia Niessen, Mauren Wolff

slightly revised version published as 'Employers’ Muted Interest in Electronic Performance Monitoring (EPM)' in: S. Pfeiffer et al. (eds.), Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelten, SpringerNature. Springer VS, Wiesbaden 2024, 181-202

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15844

Is There a Union Wage Premium in Germany and Which Workers Benefit Most?

Marina Bonaccolto-Töpfer, Claus Schnabel

published in: Economies, 2023, 11 (2), 50

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15112

Uncovered Workers in Plants Covered by Collective Bargaining: Who Are They and How Do They Fare?

Boris Hirsch, Philipp Lentge, Claus Schnabel

published in: British Journal of Industrial Relations, 2022, 60 (4), 929-945

IZA Discussion Paper No. 14873

Personnel Adjustments during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Did Co-Determination Make a Difference?

Daniel Fackler, Claus Schnabel, Jens Stegmaier

published in: Journal for Labour Market Research, 2024, 58, 4 (2024)

IZA Discussion Paper No. 14649

Digging into the Digital Divide: Workers' Exposure to Digitalization and Its Consequences for Individual Employment

Sabrina Genz, Claus Schnabel

IZA Discussion Paper No. 13576

Do Unions and Works Councils Really Dampen the Gender Pay Gap? Discordant Evidence from Germany

Michael Oberfichtner, Claus Schnabel, Marina Töpfer

published in: Economics Letters, 2020, 196, 109509

IZA Discussion Paper No. 13465

Union Membership and Collective Bargaining: Trends and Determinants

Claus Schnabel

published in: K. F. Zimmermann (ed.), Handbook of Labor, Human Resources and Population Economics, Springer, Cham, 2020

IZA Discussion Paper No. 13033

Does Working at a Start-Up Pay Off?

Daniel Fackler, Lisa Hölscher, Claus Schnabel, Antje Weyh

published in: Small Business Economics, 2022, 58 (4), 2211-2233

IZA Discussion Paper No. 12767

Owners, External Managers, and Industrial Relations in German Establishments

Arnd Kölling, Claus Schnabel

substantially revised version published in: British Journal of Industrial Relations, 2022, 60 (2), 424-443

IZA Discussion Paper No. 12392

Questioning the Stereotype of the "Malingering Bureaucrat": Absence from Work in the Public and Private Sector in Germany

Stephanie Prümer, Claus Schnabel

published in: Kyklos, 2019, 72 (4), 570-603

IZA Discussion Paper No. 11747

Employment Adjustments Following Rises and Reductions in Minimum Wages: New Insights from a Survey Experiment

Mario Bossler, Michael Oberfichtner, Claus Schnabel

published in: Labour, 2020, 34 (3), 323-346

IZA Discussion Paper No. 11556

Do Startups Provide Employment Opportunities for Disadvantaged Workers?

Daniel Fackler, Michaela Fuchs, Lisa Hölscher, Claus Schnabel

published in: Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 2019, 72 (5), 1123-1148

IZA Discussion Paper No. 11064

The German Model of Industrial Relations: (Where) Does It Still Exist?

Michael Oberfichtner, Claus Schnabel

published in: Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik), 2019, 239 (1), 5-37

IZA Discussion Paper No. 9015

Coming to Work While Sick: An Economic Theory of Presenteeism with an Application to German Data

Boris Hirsch, Daniel S. J. Lechmann, Claus Schnabel

published in: Oxford Economic Papers, 2017, 69 (4), 1010-1031

IZA Discussion Paper No. 8919

United, Yet Apart? A Note on Persistent Labour Market Differences between Western and Eastern Germany

Claus Schnabel

published in: Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik), 2016, 236 (2), 157-180

IZA Discussion Paper No. 8317

The Levelling Effect of Product Market Competition on Gender Wage Discrimination

Boris Hirsch, Michael Oberfichtner, Claus Schnabel

published in: IZA Journal of Labor Economics, 2014, 3:19

IZA Discussion Paper No. 8242

Centralized vs. Decentralized Wage Formation: The Role of Firms' Production Technology

Boris Hirsch, Christian Merkl, Steffen Müller, Claus Schnabel

IZA Discussion Paper No. 7776

The Cyclical Behaviour of Employers' Monopsony Power and Workers' Wages

Boris Hirsch, Elke J. Jahn, Claus Schnabel

substantially revised version published as "Do employers have more monopsony power in slack labor markets?" in: Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 2018, 71(3), 676-704

IZA Discussion Paper No. 7756

Absence from Work of the Self-Employed: A Comparison with Paid Employees

Daniel S. J. Lechmann, Claus Schnabel

published in: Kyklos, 2014, 67 (3), 368-390

IZA Discussion Paper No. 7624

Wage Posting or Wage Bargaining? Evidence from the Employers' Side

Hanna Brenzel, Hermann Gartner, Claus Schnabel

published in: Labour Economics, 2014, 29, 41-48

IZA Discussion Paper No. 7542

Survival of Spinoffs and Other Startups: First Evidence for the Private Sector in Germany, 1976-2008

Daniel Fackler, Claus Schnabel

substantially revised version published as 'Spinoffs in Germany: Characteristics, Survival, and the Role of their Parents', in: Small Business Economics, 2016, 46 (1), 93-114 ( co-authored by Alexandra Schmucker,)

IZA Discussion Paper No. 7081

Lingering Illness or Sudden Death? Pre-Exit Employment Developments in German Establishments

Daniel Fackler, Claus Schnabel, Joachim Wagner

published in: Industrial and Corporate Change 2014, 23 (4), 1121-1140

IZA Discussion Paper No. 6792

Union Membership and Density: Some (Not So) Stylized Facts and Challenges

Claus Schnabel

published in: European Journal of Industrial Relations, 2013, 19 (3), 255-272

IZA Discussion Paper No. 6435

What Explains the Gender Earnings Gap in Self-Employment? A Decomposition Analysis with German Data

Daniel S. J. Lechmann, Claus Schnabel

published as 'Why is there a gender earnings gap in self-employment? A decomposition analysis with German data' in: IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, 2012, 1 (6)

IZA Discussion Paper No. 6349

Establishment Exits in Germany: The Role of Size and Age

Daniel Fackler, Claus Schnabel, Joachim Wagner

published in: Small Business Economics, 2013, 41 (3), 683-700

IZA Discussion Paper No. 6157

Are the Self-Employed Really Jacks-of-All-Trades? Testing the Assumptions and Implications of Lazear's Theory of Entrepreneurship with German Data

Daniel S. J. Lechmann, Claus Schnabel

published in: Small Business Economics, 2014, 42 (1), 59-76

IZA Discussion Paper No. 5875

Let's Take Bargaining Models Seriously: The Decline in Union Power in Germany, 1992-2009

Boris Hirsch, Claus Schnabel

substantially revised version published as 'What Can We Learn from Bargaining Models about Union Power? The Decline in Union Power in Germany, 1992-2009' in: Manchester School, 2014, 82 (3), 347-362

IZA Discussion Paper No. 5228

Wage Cyclicality under Different Regimes of Industrial Relations

Hermann Gartner, Thorsten Schank, Claus Schnabel

published in: Industrial Relations, 2013, 52 (2), 516-540

IZA Discussion Paper No. 5154

Women Move Differently: Job Separations and Gender

Boris Hirsch, Claus Schnabel

published in: Journal of Labor Research, 2012, 33 (4), 417-442

IZA Discussion Paper No. 4696

Low-Wage Careers: Are There Dead-End Firms and Dead-End Jobs?

Alexander Mosthaf, Claus Schnabel, Jens Stephani

published in: Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung /Journal for Labour Market Research, 2011, 43 (3), 231-249

IZA Discussion Paper No. 4611

Low-Wage Employment versus Unemployment: Which One Provides Better Prospects for Women?

Alexander Mosthaf, Thorsten Schank, Claus Schnabel

published in: IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, 2014, 3:21

IZA Discussion Paper No. 4488

The Institutional Context of an "Empirical Law": The Wage Curve under Different Regimes of Collective Bargaining

Uwe Blien, Wolfgang Dauth, Thorsten Schank, Claus Schnabel

published in: British Journal of Industrial Relations, 2013, 51 (1), 59-79

IZA Discussion Paper No. 4278

Paying More than Necessary? The Wage Cushion in Germany

Sven Jung, Claus Schnabel

published in: Labour, 2011, 25 (2), 182-197

IZA Discussion Paper No. 4126

Works Councils and Separations: Voice, Monopoly, and Insurance Effects

Boris Hirsch, Thorsten Schank, Claus Schnabel

published in: Industrial Relations, 2010, 49 (4), 566-592

IZA Discussion Paper No. 3918

Worker Directors: A German Product that Didn't Export?

John T. Addison, Claus Schnabel

published in: Industrial Relations, 2011, 50 (2), 354-374

IZA Discussion Paper No. 3842

Union Membership and Age: The Inverted U-Shape Hypothesis under Test

Claus Schnabel, Joachim Wagner

published as 'With or Without U? Testing the Hypothesis of an Inverted U-Shaped Union Membership-Age Relationship' in: Contemporary Economics, 2012, 6 (4), 28-34

IZA Discussion Paper No. 3661

The Aging of the Unions in West Germany, 1980–2006

Claus Schnabel, Joachim Wagner

published in: Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik , 2008, 228 (5-6), 497-511

IZA Discussion Paper No. 3359

Higher Wages in Exporting Firms: Self-Selection, Export Effect, or Both? First Evidence from German Linked Employer-Employee Data

Thorsten Schank, Claus Schnabel, Joachim Wagner

published in: Review of World Economics, 2010, 146 (2), 303-322

IZA Discussion Paper No. 3353

Employment Stability of Entrants in Newly Founded Firms: A Matching Approach Using Linked Employer-Employee Data from Germany

Claus Schnabel, Susanne Kohaut, Udo Brixy

published in: Small Business Economics, 2011, 36(1), 85-100

IZA Discussion Paper No. 2443

Gender Differences in Labor Supply to Monopsonistic Firms: An Empirical Analysis Using Linked Employer-Employee Data from Germany

Boris Hirsch, Thorsten Schank, Claus Schnabel

substantially revised version published as "Differences in Labor Supply to Monopsonistic Firms and the Gender Pay Gap: An Empirical Analysis Using Linked Employer-Employee Data from Germany" in: Journal of Labor Economics, 2010, 28 (2), 291-330

IZA Discussion Paper No. 2388

The Persistent Decline in Unionization in Western and Eastern Germany, 1980-2004: What Can We Learn from a Decomposition Analysis?

Claus Schnabel, Joachim Wagner

published in: Industrielle Beziehungen, 2007, 14(2), 118-132

IZA Discussion Paper No. 2000

The (Parlous) State of German Unions

John T. Addison, Claus Schnabel, Joachim Wagner

published in: Journal of Labor Research, 2007, 28 (1), 3-18

IZA Discussion Paper No. 1658

Who Are the Workers Who Never Joined a Union? Empirical Evidence from Germany

Claus Schnabel, Joachim Wagner

published in: Industrielle Beziehungen, 2006, 13 (2), 118-131