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Using data from the 2006 wave of the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), this paper analyzes how a minimum wage affects employment, wage inequality, public expenditures, and aggregate income in the low-wage sector. It is shown that a statutory minimum wage of EUR 7.50 per hour would cost 840,000 low-paid jobs and increases the fiscal burden by about EUR 4 billion per year, while household income rises only by EUR 1.1 billion per year. Poor households, i.e. those eligible for Unemployment Benefits II, do not benefit from a minimum wage at all. Comparing the effects of a minimum wage with different types of wage subsidies that require the same additional public expenditures, the government can ensure more favorable employment depending on the subsidies' incidence and income effects. Wage subsidies also allow a more equal income distribution than statutory minimum wages. Combining a minimum wage with a wage subsidy, similar to the French minimum wage system, is extremely costly while such a policy is inferior to wage subsidies in all respects.

The results in this report for the Russian Federation support the use of tobacco taxation as an effective means to reduce tobacco consumption, raise government revenues, increase public health and promote income equality.

Purpose: We examine the concurrent relationship between obesity incidence and normal weight status incidence and prevalence in children between 9 months and kindergarten. Design: Multistage, probability sample from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth cohort. Setting: United States. Participants: Representative sample of US preschool children (n = 9950) followed from birth through kindergarten. Measures: From direct, anthropometric measures, we reported prevalence and incidence rates across 4 follow-up periods. Analysis: In addition to prevalence and incidence rates, we reported risk ratios based on multiple definitions and estimated predicted probabilities of obesity and normal weight status using clinically meaningful body mass index (BMI)-for-age percentiles. Results: Obesity prevalence (13%-20%) was much smaller than normal weight status prevalence (66%-70%). Lower socioeconomic status, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic black children had greater risk of obesity. During 9 months to kindergarten, obesity incidence decreased two-thirds (15.6%), while normal weight status incidence decreased almost one-half (44.6%). Coincidently, normal weight status incidence (ranged from 23% to 45%) was consistently and substantially higher than obesity incidence (ranged from 5% to 15%). During 4 years to kindergarten, the obesity risk for overweight children was 13 times higher than that for normal weight status children. Conclusion: Overall rates of obese and normal weight incidence were substantial at 9 months, trended lower, but remained high through kindergarten. At 4 years to kindergarten, children with relatively high initial BMI were very likely to become obese but far less likely to achieve normal weight status.

The aim in this paper is to provide a systematic approach to the long-run incidence analysis in a two-sector growth model. For this end, a long-run incidence model as close as possible to the standard short-run incidence model shall be built, and a method of conducting the comparative dynamic analysis which evaluates the long-run factor income distribution will be developed. In so doing, the following three steps shall be taken. First, the logical structure of the long-run incidence model is carefully explored to clarify the relationship between the long-run incidence and the short-run incidence. Second, previous work is extended to cover the long-run incidence effects of other taxes such as commodity or wage taxes. Third, concrete propositions on the long-run incidence are established comparable to those on the short-run incidence.