Discussion Papers

IZA Discussion Paper No. 17305

Financing Social Protection in OECD Countries: Role and Uses of Revenue Earmarking

Herwig Immervoll

forthcoming in: U. Gentilini (ed.), Scaling up: insights into the financing, political economy and delivery of social assistance (preliminary title), World Bank: Washington DC, 2024

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16833

Moving Out of the Comfort Zone: How Cultural Norms Affect Attitudes toward Immigration

Yvonne Giesing, Björn Kauder, Lukas Mergele, Niklas Potrafke, Panu Poutvaara

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16719

Convergence of Inequality Dimensions in China: Income, Consumption, and Wealth from 1988 to 2018

Haiyuan Wan, Björn Anders Gustafsson, Yingfei Wang

published in: Review of Income and Wealth, 2024, 70 (4), 1089-1115

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16657

Echoes of the Past: The Enduring Impact of Communism on Contemporary Freedom of Speech Values

Milena Nikolova, Olga Popova

revised version published in: Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2024, 227, 106739

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16643

Human Values and Selection into Supervisory Positions: Evidence from Nine European Countries

Mihails Hazans, Jaan Masso, Per Botolf Maurseth

revised version published online in International Journal of Manpower, 9 September 2025

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16424

The Micro-Foundations of Employment Systems: An Empirical Case Study of Britain and France

Thomas Amossé, Alex Bryson, John Forth, Héloïse Petit

published in: British Journal of Industrial Relations, 2025, 63 (1), 3 - 29

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16295

Weberian Civil Service and Labor Enforcement

Matías Dewey, Lucas Ronconi

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15816

Children of Communism: The Former Party Membership and Demand for Redistribution

Alexander Libman, Olga Popova

revised version published in: Eastern European Economics, 2023, 61 (3), 199-237

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15152

A Tale of Parallel Processes of Gender (In-)Equality: How Big Is the Glass Ceilings for MENA Women?

Ömer Tuğ sal Doruk, Francesco Pastore

IZA Discussion Paper No. 14712

Double-Edged Sword: Persistent Effects of Communism on Life Satisfaction

Vladimir Otrachshenko, Milena Nikolova, Olga Popova

revised version published in: Journal of Population Economics, 2023, 36(3), 1139–1185

IZA Discussion Paper No. 14411

Calamities, Common Interests, Shared Identity: What Shapes Altruism and Reciprocity?

Cevat Giray Aksoy, Antonio Cabrales, Mathias Dolls, Ruben Durante, Lisa Windsteiger

revised version forthcoming in: Journal of Comparative Economics

IZA Discussion Paper No. 14294

Working Beyond the Normal Retirement Age in Urban China and Urban Russia

Björn Anders Gustafsson, Ludmila Nivorozhkina, Haiyuan Wan

published in: IZA Journal of Development and Migration, 2021, 12 (1)

IZA Discussion Paper No. 13662

An Economics-Based Rationale for the Rawlsian Social Welfare Program

Oded Stark

published in: Rodríguez, J.G. and Bishop, J.A. (eds), Inequality, Redistribution and Mobility, Bingley, 2020, 179-186

IZA Discussion Paper No. 13456

Trends in Absolute Income Mobility in North America and Europe

Robert Manduca, Maximilian Hell, Adrian Adermon, Jo Blanden, Espen Bratberg, Anne C. Gielen, Hans van Kippersluis, Keun Bok Lee, Stephen Machin, Martin D. Munk, Martin Nybom, Yuri Ostrovsky, Sumaiya Rahman, Outi Sirniö

published as 'Measuring Absolute Income Mobility: Lessons from North America and Europe' in: American Economic Journal - Applied Economics, 2024, 16 (2), 1 - 30

IZA Discussion Paper No. 12883

All on Board? New Evidence on Board Gender Diversity from a Large Panel of Firms

Joanna Tyrowicz, Siri Terjesen, Jakub Mazurek

published in: European Management Journal, 2020, 38 (4), 634 - 645

IZA Discussion Paper No. 12679

Occupational Mobility in Europe: Extent, Determinants and Consequences

Ronald Bachmann, Peggy Bechara, Christina Vonnahme

published in: De Economist, 2020, 168(1), 79-108

IZA Discussion Paper No. 12496

The Political Economy of a Northern Ireland Border Poll

Seamus McGuinness, Adele Bergin

published in: Cambridge Journal of Economics, 2020, 44 (4), 781 - 812

IZA Discussion Paper No. 12336

Types of Institutions and Well-Being of Self-Employed and Paid Employees in Europe

Michael Fritsch, Alina Sorgner, Michael Wyrwich

revised version published in: Small Business Economics, 2021, 56, 877–901

IZA Discussion Paper No. 12212

Undoing Gender with Institutions: Lessons from the German Division and Reunification

Quentin Lippmann, Alexandre Georgieff, Claudia Senik

published in: Economic Journal, 2020, 130 (629), 1445 - 1470

IZA Discussion Paper No. 12100

Does Society Influence the Gender Gap in Risk Attitudes? Evidence from East and West Germany

Cornelia Chadi, Uwe Jirjahn

revised version published in: Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 2024, 113, 102311

IZA Discussion Paper No. 11740

Creative Differences? Measuring Creative Economy Employment in the US and UK Using Microdata

Tom Kemeny, Max Nathan, Dave O'Brien

published in: Regional Studies, 2020, 54 (3), 377-387

IZA Discussion Paper No. 11683

Testing

Annika B. Bergbauer, Eric A. Hanushek, Ludger Woessmann

published in: Journal of Human Resources, 2024, 59 (2), 349-388

IZA Discussion Paper No. 11517

Are Rushed Privatizations Substandard? Analyzing Firm-Level Privatization under Fiscal Pressure

Jan Hagemeier, Jan Svejnar, Joanna Tyrowicz

IZA Discussion Paper No. 11250

Wage Inequality and Structural Change

Joanna Tyrowicz, Magdalena Smyk

published in Social Indicators Research, 2019, 141(2), 503-538

IZA Discussion Paper No. 11249

Labor Reallocation and Demographics

Joanna Tyrowicz, Lucas Van der Velde

published in: Journal of Comparative Economics, 2018, 46 (1), 381-412

IZA Discussion Paper No. 11113

Collective Bargaining through the Magnifying Glass: A Comparison between the Netherlands and Portugal

Alexander Hijzen, Pedro S. Martins, Jante Parlevliet

published as 'Frontal assault versus incremental change: A comparison of collective bargaining in Portugal and the Netherlands' in: IZA Journal of Labor Policy, 2019/0008

IZA Discussion Paper No. 11058

Informal Search, Bad Search? The Effects of Job Search Method on Wages among Rural Migrants in Urban China

Yuanyuan Chen, Le Wang, Min Zhang

published in: Journal of Population Economics, 2018, 31 (3), 837-876

IZA Discussion Paper No. 10774

Sometimes Your Best Just Ain't Good Enough: The Worldwide Evidence on Well-Being Efficiency

Milena Nikolova, Olga Popova

published in: B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 2021, 21(1), 83-114

IZA Discussion Paper No. 10364

Gender Differences in Willingness to Compete: The Role of Culture and Institutions

Alison L. Booth, Elliott Fan, Xin Meng, Dandan Zhang

published in: Economic Journal, 2019, 129 (618), 734 - 764

IZA Discussion Paper No. 10000

The Scandinavian Fantasy: The Sources of Intergenerational Mobility in Denmark and the U.S.

Rasmus Landersø, James J. Heckman

published in: Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 2017, 119 (1), 178 - 230

IZA Discussion Paper No. 9587

Collective Bargaining Systems and Macroeconomic and Microeconomic Flexibility: The Quest for Appropriate Institutional Forms in Advanced Economies

John T. Addison

published in: IZA Journal of Labor Policy, 2016, 5: 19

IZA Discussion Paper No. 9333

Time-Varying Individual Risk Attitudes over the Great Recession: A Comparison of Germany and Ukraine

Thomas Dohmen, Hartmut Lehmann, Norberto Pignatti

published in: Journal of Comparative Economics, 2016, 44 (1), 182-200

IZA Discussion Paper No. 9309

Want Freedom, Will Travel: Emigrant Self-Selection According to Institutional Quality

Maryam Naghsh Nejad, Andrew T. Young

published in: European Journal of Political Economy, 2016, 45, 71-84

IZA Discussion Paper No. 9065

The Inheritance of Educational Inequality among Young People in Developing Countries

Francesco Pastore, Federica Roccisano

IZA Discussion Paper No. 7573

Making Sense of Arab Labor Markets: The Enduring Legacy of Dualism

Ragui Assaad

published in: IZA Journal of Labor & Development, 2014, 3:6

IZA Discussion Paper No. 7412

Are Worker-Managed Firms Really More Likely to Fail?

Gabriel Burdin

published in: Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 2014, 67(1), 202-238

IZA Discussion Paper No. 7327

The Costs of Worker Displacement in Urban Labor Markets of China

Yuhao Ge, Hartmut Lehmann

puplished in: IZA Journal of Labor and Development, 2013, 2, Article 4

IZA Discussion Paper No. 7260

Is Germany the North Star of Labor Market Policy?

Ulf Rinne, Klaus F. Zimmermann

substantially revised version published in: IMF Economic Review, 2013, 61 (4), 702-729

IZA Discussion Paper No. 7132

Trade Liberalization, Democratization and Technology Adoption

Matteo Cervellati, Alireza Naghavi, Farid Toubal

published in: Journal of Economic Growth, 2018, 23 (2), 145-173

IZA Discussion Paper No. 7103

Estimating Returns to Education when the IV Sample is Selective

Le Wang

published in: Labour Economics, 2013, 21, 74-85

IZA Discussion Paper No. 7074

Labour Turnover and the Spatial Distribution of Unemployment: A Panel Data Analysis Using Employment Registry Data

Francesco Pastore, Joanna Tyrowicz

IZA Discussion Paper No. 6954

Is There a Southern-Sclerosis? Worker Reallocation and Regional Unemployment in Italy

Chiara Mussida, Francesco Pastore

IZA Discussion Paper No. 6250

Another Economic Miracle? The German Labor Market and the Great Recession

Ulf Rinne, Klaus F. Zimmermann

published in: IZA Journal of Labor Policy, 2012, 1:3, reprinted as 'Un altro miracolo economico? Il mercato del lavoro tedesco e la grande recessione' in: 'Diritto delle Relazioni Industriali , 2013, 23 (2), 401-423

IZA Discussion Paper No. 6230

Job Separations and Informality in the Russian Labor Market

Hartmut Lehmann, Tiziano Razzolini, Anzelika Zaiceva

published in: Research in Labor Economics, 2012, 34, 257-290

IZA Discussion Paper No. 6033

Educational Scores: How Does Russia Fare?

Chiara Amini, Simon Commander

published in: Journal of Comparative Economics, 2012, 40 (3), 508 - 527

IZA Discussion Paper No. 5836

Did Growth and Reforms Increase Citizens' Support for the Transition?

Roberto Golinelli, Riccardo Rovelli

revised version published in: European Journal of Political Economy, 2013, 30, 112-137

IZA Discussion Paper No. 5570

Trust in Public Institutions over the Business Cycle

Betsey Stevenson, Justin Wolfers

published in: American Economic Review, 2011, 101 (3), 281-287

IZA Discussion Paper No. 5415

The Costs of Job Loss in Russia

Hartmut Lehmann, Alexander Muravyev, Tiziano Razzolini, Anzelika Zaiceva

revised version published as 'The Wage and Non-wage Costs of Displacement in Boom Times: Evidence from Russia' in: Journal of Comparative Economics, 2013, 41 (4), 1184-1201

IZA Discussion Paper No. 5383

Why Are Household Incomes More Unequally Distributed in China than in Russia?

Björn Anders Gustafsson, Shi Li, Ludmila Nivorozhkina

published in: Cambridge Journal of Economics, 2011, 35 (5), 897-920

IZA Discussion Paper No. 5281

Norms, Culture and Local Infrastructure: Evidence from a Decentralised Economy

Sarmistha Pal

IZA Discussion Paper No. 5219

A Different Look at Lenin's Legacy: Trust, Risk, Fairness and Cooperativeness in the Two Germanies

Guido Heineck, Bernd Süssmuth

revised version published in: Journal of Comparative Economics, 2013, 41 (3), 789-803

IZA Discussion Paper No. 5052

Size Matters: Entrepreneurial Entry and Government

Ruta Aidis, Saul Estrin, Tomasz Mickiewicz

published in: Small Business Economics, 2012, 39 (1), 119-139

IZA Discussion Paper No. 4925

The Economics of International Differences in Educational Achievement

Eric A. Hanushek, Ludger Woessmann

published in: E.A. Hanushek, S. Machin, L. Woessmann (eds.), Handbook of the Economics of Education, Vol. 3, pp. 89-200, Amsterdam: North Holland, 2011

IZA Discussion Paper No. 4779

Learning from Latin America's Experience: Europe's Failure in the "Lisbon Process"

Arno Tausch, Almas Heshmati

published in: Alternatives, Turkish Journal of International Relations, 2010, 9(4), 3-90.

IZA Discussion Paper No. 4762

Does Conflict Disrupt Growth? Evidence of the Relationship between Political Instability and National Economic Performance

Solomon Polachek, Daria Sevastianova

published in: Journal of International Trade and Economic Development, 2012, 21 (3), 361 - 388

IZA Discussion Paper No. 4396

Better Means More: Property Rights and High-Growth Aspiration Entrepreneurship

Saul Estrin, Julia Korosteleva, Tomasz Mickiewicz

substantially revised and rewritten version available as IZA DP No. 5481

IZA Discussion Paper No. 4123

Entrepreneurial Entry: Which Institutions Matter?

Ruta Aidis, Saul Estrin, Tomasz Mickiewicz

published in: Grzegorz Kolodko and Jacek Tomkiewicz (eds.), 20 Years of Transformation: Achievements, Problems and Perspectives, New York: Nova, 2011

IZA Discussion Paper No. 3766

Understanding Low Average Returns to Education in Africa: The Role of Heterogeneity across Education Levels and the Importance of Political and Economic Reforms

Ruth Uwaifo Oyelere

revised version published as 'Have returns to education changed in Nigeria? Uncovering the role of democratic reforms' in: Journal of African Economies, 2011, 20 (5), 737-780

IZA Discussion Paper No. 3457

The Determinants of Female Labour Supply in Belarus

Francesco Pastore, Alina Verashchagina

published in: Ravi Kanbur and Jan Svejnar (eds.), Labour Markets and Economic Development, London: Routledge, 2009

IZA Discussion Paper No. 3409

Lost in Transition: Life Satisfaction on the Road to Capitalism

Richard A. Easterlin

published in: Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2009, 71 (2), 130-145

IZA Discussion Paper No. 3284

Earnings Differences between Chinese and Indian Wage Earners, 1987–2004

Olivier B. Bargain, Sumon K. Bhaumik, Manisha Chakrabarty, Zhong Zhao

published in: Review of Income and Wealth, 2009, 55 (1), 562-587

IZA Discussion Paper No. 2889

Should Market Liberalization Precede Democracy? Causal Relations between Political Preferences and Development

Pauline Grosjean, Claudia Senik

published as "Democracy, Market Liberalization and Political Preferences" in: Review of Economics and Statistics, 2011, 93(1), 365-381

IZA Discussion Paper No. 2181

Wage Dispersion, Markets and Institutions: The Effects of the Boom in Education on the Wage Structure

Erling Barth, Claudio Lucifora

IZA Discussion Paper No. 2154

Does Democracy Foster Trust?

Helmut Rainer, Thomas Siedler

published in: Journal of Comparative Economics, 2009, 37 (2), 251-269

IZA Discussion Paper No. 1871

Tarifpolitik und Entgeltflexibilität in Ostdeutschland

Holger Bonin

published in: Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung / Journal for Labour Market Research, 2005, 38 (2-3), 147-164

IZA Discussion Paper No. 1829

A Tale of Parallel Integration Processes. A Gravity Analysis of EU Trade with Mediterranean and Central and Eastern European Countries

Anna Maria Ferragina, Giorgia Giovannetti, Francesco Pastore

published in: Review of Middle East Economics and Finance, 2009, 5 (2), Article 2

IZA Discussion Paper No. 1794

Job Market Signaling and Screening: An Experimental Comparison

Dorothea Kübler, Wieland Müller, Hans-Theo Normann

published in: Games and Economic Behavior, 2008, 64 (1), 219-236

IZA Discussion Paper No. 1793

To Study or to Work? Education and Labour Market Participation of Young People in Poland

Francesco Pastore

published in: Eastern European Economics, 2012, 50 (3), 49-78

IZA Discussion Paper No. 1770

The Incidence and Cost of Job Loss in the Ukrainian Labor Market

Hartmut Lehmann, Norberto Pignatti, Jonathan Wadsworth

published in: Journal of Comparative Economics, 2006, 34 (2), 248-271

IZA Discussion Paper No. 1409

Private Returns to Human Capital over Transition: A Case Study of Belarus

Francesco Pastore, Alina Verashchagina

published in: Economics of Education Review, 2006, 25(1), 91-107

IZA Discussion Paper No. 1325

Returns to Schooling in Russia and Ukraine: A Semiparametric Approach to Cross-Country Comparative Analysis

Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Klara Sabirianova Peter

published in: Journal of Comparative Economics, 2005, 33 (2), 324-350

IZA Discussion Paper No. 1182

Returns to Skills and the Speed of Reforms: Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe, China, and Russia

Belton M. Fleisher, Klara Sabirianova Peter, Xiaojun Wang

published in: Journal of Comparative Economics, 2005, 33 (2), 351-370

IZA Discussion Paper No. 696

Institutions in the Economic Fitness Landscape: What Impact Do Welfare State Institutions Have on Economic Performance?

Ronald Schettkat

CESifo Dice Report , 2003, 2, 27-33

IZA Discussion Paper No. 589

Job Growth in Early Transition: Comparing Two Paths

Štepán Jurajda, Katherine Terrell

published in: Economics of Transition, 2003, 11 (2), 291-320

IZA Discussion Paper No. 567

The Incidence and Cost of Job Loss in a Transition Economy: Displaced Workers in Estonia, 1989-1999

Hartmut Lehmann, Kaia Philips, Jonathan Wadsworth

published in: Journal of Comparative Economics, 2005, 33 (1), 59-87

IZA Discussion Paper No. 161

Public Employment and Redistributive Politics: Evidence from Russia’s Regions

Vladimir Gimpelson, Daniel Treisman, Galina Monusova

revised version published as 'Fiscal Games and Public Employment: A Theory with Evidence from Russia' in: World Politics, 2002, 54 (2), 145-183

IZA Discussion Paper No. 34

Labour Mobility - An Adjustment Mechanism in Euroland?

Patrick A. Puhani

published as 'Labour Mobility: An Adjustment Mechanism in Euroland? Empirical Evidence for Western Germany, France and Italy' in: German Economic Review, 2001, 2 (2),127-140