Suchergebnisse

Der Artikel nimmt Bezug auf ein Buch zu Theorien der Arbeitslosigkeit vor der Aera Keynes, insbesondere der Nationalökonomen Pigon, Clay und Cannan. Diese Theorien erklärten bereits die strukturelle Arbeitslosigkeit und den Lohn-Beschäftigungszusammenhang. Der Verfasser prüft, inwieweit die Theorien auch heutige Arbeitsmarktphänomene erklären können. (IAB)

Do other peoples' incomes reduce the happiness which people in advanced countries experience from any given income? And does this help to explain why in the U.S., Germany and some other advanced countries, happiness has been constant for many decades? The answer to both questions is "Yes". We provide 4 main pieces of evidence. 1) In the U.S. General Survey (repeated samples since 1972) comparator income has a negative effect on happiness equal in magnitude to the positive effect of own income. 2) In the West German Socio-Economic Panel since 1984 the same is true but with lifesatisfaction as the dependant variable. We also use the Panel to compare the effect of income comparisons and of adaptation as factors explaining the stable level of life-satisfaction: income comparisons emerge as much the more important. 3) When in our U.S. analysis we introduce perceivedʺ relative income as a potential explanatory variable, its effect is as large as the effect of actual relative income further supporting the view that comparisons matter. 4) Finally, for a panel of European countries since 1973 we estimate the effect of average income upon average lifesatisfaction, splitting income into two components: trend and cycle. The effect of trend income is small and ill-defined. Our conclusions relate to time series and to advanced countries only. They differ from those drawn in recent studies by Deaton and Stevenson/Wolfers, but those studies are largely cross-sectional and mostly include non-advanced as well as advanced countries.

Die Autoren untersuchen die Zusammenhänge von Arbeitslosigkeit, sozialer Sicherheit und Reallöhnen in Japan, Europa und den USA. Ausgehend von einem theoretischen Wirtschaftsanalysemodell werden Arbeitslosigkeit und Preise, Löhne und der Arbeitsmarkt in 5 Ländern untersucht; weiterhin wird auf die Rolle der Gewerkschaften eingegangen. (DÜI-Xyl)