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The study contributes to the development of "standards" for the application of matching algorithms in empirical evaluation studies. The focus is on the first step of the matching procedure, the choice of an appropriate distance function. Supplementary to most former studies, the simulation is strongly based on empirical evaluation situations. This reality orientation induces the focus on small samples. Furthermore, variables with different scale levels must be considered explicitly in the matching process. The choice of the analysed distance functions is determined by the results of former theoretical studies and recommendations in the empirical literature. Thus, in the simulation, two balancing scores (the propensity score and the index score) and the Mahalanobis distance are considered. Additionally, aggregated statistical distance functions not yet used for empirical evaluation are included. The matching outcomes are compared using non-parametrical scale-specific tests for identical distributions of the characteristics in the treatment and the control groups. The simulation results show that, in small samples, aggregated statistical distance functions are the better choice for summarising similarities in differently scaled variables compared to the commonly used measures. -- distance functions ; matching ; microeconometric evaluation ; propensity score ; simulation

The aim of this paper is to analyze whether the formally equal qualifications acquired during a subsidized vocational education induce equal employment opportunities compared to regular vocational training. Using replacement matching on the basis of a statistical distance function, we are able to control for selection effects resulting from different personal and professionrelated characteristics, and thus, to identify an unbiased effect of the public support. Besides the "total effect" of support, it is of special interest if the effect is stronger for subsidized youths in external training compared to persons in workplacerelated training. The analysis is based on unique and very detailed data, the Youth Panel of the Halle Centre for Social Research (zsh). The results show that young people who successfully completed a subsidized vocational education are disadvantaged regarding their employment opportunities even when controlling for personal and professionrelated influences on the employment prospects. Besides a quantitative effect, the analysis shows that the graduates of subsidized training work in slightly worse (underqualified) and worse paid jobs than the adolescents in the reference group. The comparison of both types of subsidized vocational training, however, does not confirm the expected stronger effect for youths in external vocational education compared to workplacerelated training. -- microeconometric evaluation ; matching ; vocational education ; East Germany

The aim of this paper is to analyze whether the formally equal qualifications acquired during a subsidized vocational education induce equal employment opportunities compared to regular vocational training. Using replacement matching on the basis of a statistical distance function, we are able to control for selection effects resulting from different personal and professionrelated characteristics, and thus, to identify an unbiased effect of the public support. Besides the total effect of support, it is of special interest if the effect is stronger for subsidized youths in external training compared to persons in workplacerelated training. The analysis is based on unique and very detailed data, the Youth Panel of the Halle Centre for Social Research (zsh). The results show that young people who successfully completed a subsidized vocational education are disadvantaged regarding their employment opportunities even when controlling for personal and professionrelated influences on the employment prospects. Besides a quantitative effect, the analysis shows that the graduates of subsidized training work in slightly worse (underqualified) and worse paid jobs than the adolescents in the reference group. The comparison of both types of subsidized vocational training, however, does not confirm the expected stronger effect for youths in external vocational education compared to workplacerelated training. ; Gegenstand der Analyse ist eine Evaluation der Berufsausbildungsförderung in den Neuen Bundesländern. Es wird untersucht, ob die geförderten Jugendlichen beim Berufseinstieg gegenüber Absolventen ungeförderter Ausbildungsgänge benachteiligt sind, obwohl sie formal gleichwertige Abschlüsse erwerben. Neben dem absoluten Effekt der Förderung ist von Interesse, ob sich die Effekte der beiden Arten der Ausbildungsorganisation (betriebsnahe Ausbildung und außerbetriebliche Ausbildung) voneinander unterscheiden. Durch den Einsatz von replacement matching auf Grundlage eines statistischen aggregierten Distanzmaßes ist es möglich, für Selektionseffekte, die aus unterschiedlich verteilten Merkmalen in den untersuchten Stichproben resultieren, zu kontrollieren. Die Datenbasis bildet das Jugendpanel des Zentrums für Sozialforschung Halle, das aufgrund seiner Fokussierung auf junge Erwachsene und seiner detaillierten Informationen für die Untersuchung besonders geeignet ist. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der Umstand der Förderung einen Einfluss auf die Beschäftigungschancen der Jugendlichen hat. So sind die geförderten Jugendlichen nach erfolgreichem Abschluss ihrer Berufsausbildung seltener erwerbstätig als vergleichbare Absolventen ungeförderter Ausbildungsgänge. Über diesen quantitativen Effekt hinaus sind geförderte Jugendliche, die eine Erwerbstätigkeit aufgenommen haben, seltener im erlernten Beruf tätig und haben ein geringeres Einkommen. Der erwartete Effekt der Organisationsform der geförderten Berufsausbildung wird nicht bestätigt die Beschäftigungsaussichten der Absolventen außerbetrieblicher Ausbildungen unterscheiden sich weder qualitativ noch quantitativ von denen vergleichbarer Absolventen betriebsnaher Ausbildungen.

The paper presents a modification of the matching and difference-in-differences approach of Heckman et al. (1998) for the staggered treatment adoption design and a Stata tool that implements the approach. This flexible conditional difference-in-differences approach is particularly useful for causal analysis of treatments with varying start dates and varying treatment durations. Introducing more flexibility enables the user to consider individual treatment periods for the treated observations and thus circumventing problems arising in canonical difference-in-differences approaches. The open-source flexpaneldid toolbox for Stata implements the developed approach and allows comprehensive robustness checks and quality tests. The core of the paper gives comprehensive examples to explain the use of the commands and its options on the basis of a publicly accessible data set.

The paper estimates the plant level employment effects of investment subsidies in one of the most strongly subsidized German Federal States. We analyze the treated plants as a whole, as well as the influence of heterogeneity in plant characteristics and the economic environment. Modifying the standard matching and difference-in-difference approach, we develop a new procedure that is particularly useful for the evaluation of funding programs with individual treatment phases within the funding period. Our data base combines treatment, employment and regional information from different sources. So, we can relate the absolute effects to the amount of the subsidy paid. The results suggest that investment subsidies have a positive influence on the employment development in absolute and standardized figures – with considerable effect heterogeneity.

The German government provides discretionary investment grants to structurally weak regions to reduce regional disparities. We use a regression discontinuity design that exploits an exogenous discrete jump in the probability of receiving investment grants to identify the causal effects of the investment grant on regional outcomes. We find positive effects for regional gross value-added and productivity growth, but no effects for employment and gross wage growth.

Die Wirtschaft in den Industrieländern unterliegt einem ständigen Anpassungsdruck. Wichtige aktuelle Treiber des Strukturwandels sind vor allem die Globalisierung, der technologische Fortschritt (insbesondere durch Digitalisierung und Automatisierung), die Demographie (durch Alterung und Schrumpfung der Bevölkerung) und der Klimawandel. Von diesem Anpassungsdruck sind jedoch die Regionen in Deutschland sehr unterschiedlich betroffen. Regionalpolitik verfolgt das Ziel, Regionen bei der Bewältigung des Strukturwandels zu unterstützen. Ein besonderer Fokus liegt dabei auf Regionen, die ohnehin durch Strukturschwächen gekennzeichnet sind. Die aktuelle Regionalförderung in Deutschland basiert im Wesentlichen auf der Förderung von Investitionen von Betrieben und Kommunen. Die Evaluierung dieser Programme muss integraler Bestandteil der Regionalpolitik sein - schließlich stellt sich immer die Frage nach einer alternativen Verwendung knapper öffentlicher Mittel. Eine Pilotstudie für Sachsen-Anhalt zeigt, dass die im Rahmen der Regionalpolitik gewährten Investitionszuschüsse einen positiven Effekt auf Beschäftigung und Investitionen der geförderten Betriebe haben; bei den Investitionen allerdings nur für die Dauer des Projekts. Effekte der Förderung auf Umsatz und Produktivität von Betrieben in Sachsen-Anhalt waren nicht nachweisbar.