The BerO study is funded by the German Federal Employment Agency and focuses on the impact of student guidance: evaluation of a nationwide school policy, pedagogical decision making, and long-term consequences of educational decisions.

More information is available here: https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/4587

Referred journals:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101054; 

https://doi.org/10.1080/14616696.2020.1826556; 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11150-022-09623-9

Transfer publications:

http://doku.iab.de/kurzber/2021/kb2021-19.pdf; 

https://www.iab-forum.de/der-abiturjahrgang-2021-in-zeiten-von-corona-zukunftssorgen-und-psychische-belastungen-; 

https://www.iab-forum.de/schulschliessungen-wegen-corona-regelmassiger-kontakt-zur-schule-kann-die-schulischen-aktivitaten-der-jugendlichen-erhohen

In the project on the usage and acceptance of natural medicine and complementary medicine in Germany, in collaboration with the Charité in Berlin and funded by the Karl and Veronica Carstens Foundation, we are investigating the practical use and acceptance of natural medicine and complementary medicine in the population and identifying subpopulation-specific reasons for use. Another focus is on the related topics of vaccination and nutrition. We are particularly interested in identifying the connection between natural medicine and complementary medicine attitudes and the corona vaccination decision as well as investigating possible changes in attitudes towards non-conventional procedures in the course of the pandemic. With regard to nutrition, we investigate perceived obstacles and incentives for individual subpopulations to switch to a plant-based diet and take a closer look at the influence of medical recommendations on patients' willingness to change their diet.

Referred journals:

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2024.1372924

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2024.107765 

https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1480980

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated social and economic inequalities in society like no crisis before it. The crisis disproportionately affected disadvantaged groups, such as women who often work in essential jobs, or people with lower education who were less likely to be able to work from home. As a result, these vulnerable groups were not only affected by crisis-related labor market effects, but also exposed to a higher risk of infection or health risks. Our project aims to investigate the medium- and long-term effects of the crisis on vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on effects on individual well-being and social trust, which are central factors for the functioning of societies, but are often not investigated in research.

The data basis that enables us to examine these questions is the Panel Study on Labor Market and Social Security (PASS) of the Institute for Employment Research (IAB). The panel structure of the data allows us to follow households and individuals over time and thus generate long-term insights into the effects of the crisis over the course of the project.

More information can be found here.

Referred journals:

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313689

Trust in people unknown to us is crucial for the cohesion of societies. Since trust arises in interactions between people, labor markets appear significant as arenas of social encounter. Against this background, the project investigates whether the loss of a job leads to reduced trust in strangers and whether the substantial increase of the minimum wage to 12 euros has an influence on the generation of trust. The project uses longitudinal data and quasi-experimental methods to determine causal relationships. Overall, the project aims to improve our understanding of the non-monetary consequences of unemployment and of labor market policies and to shed light on the importance of processes in the labor market for social cohesion in Germany.

Health is an important determinant of retirement. People with poor health and less education are more likely to retire involuntarily and this has a negative impact on their health and well-being after retirement. At the same time, people with low incomes are more likely to continue working despite poor health. The existing research findings on the interactions between health and retirement are inconclusive, presumably because socioeconomic status moderates this relationship and this has rarely been taken into account.

In Germany and many European countries, the standard retirement age is rising. 

This is considered politically necessary for several reasons: 

1. increase in life expectancy, 

2. improvement in health and ability to work, 

3. financial difficulties of the statutory pension system and 

4. labor shortage. 

At the same time, raising the retirement age is a social issue with significant potential for conflict -between political camps, employees and employers and generations. Ensuring a socially equitable approach to raising the retirement age is a crucial factor in expanding political flexibility and securing the support of the involved stakeholders. Whether current pension regulations contribute to reducing social inequality and promoting greater justice, as would be expected in a welfare state, or whether the transition to retirement actually increases social inequality remains a topic of debate in both society and academia. (Haan et al. 2019; Shi & Kolk 2023). Our project addresses the need for research in this crucial area of social policy in order to facilitate evidence-based decision-making.

The interactions between health, pension and socio-economic status are at the heart of our joint project. It is divided into two work packages, which are being carried out at the University of Bamberg and TU Dortmund. Based on the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), the first work package examines (1) determinants that, together with poor health, influence the timing of retirement and (2) how health and well-being change in different socio-economic groups after retirement. The second work package uses the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to investigate whether raising the retirement age in European countries decreases health and well-being. Advanced methods of causal analysis (including interrupted time series, difference-in-differences models with propensity score matching and fixed-effects models) are used.