-
作者：Dahl, Gordon B.; Knepper, Matthew
作者单位：University of California System; University of California San Diego; Norwegian School of Economics (NHH); National Bureau of Economic Research; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; Centre for Economic Policy Research - UK; IZA Institute Labor Economics; University System of Georgia; University of Georgia
摘要：We test whether age discrimination rises during recessions using two complementary analyses. Confidential EEOC microdata reveal that age-related firing and hiring charges rise by 3.3 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively, for each percentage point increase in a state-industry's monthly unemployment. Though the opportunity cost of filing falls, the fraction of meritorious claims increases-a suf-ficient condition for rising discrimination under plausible assump-tions. Second, we repurpose data f...
-
作者：Frakes, Michael D.; Wasserman, Melissa F.
作者单位：Duke University; University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin
摘要：We explore how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office may improve the quality of issued patents on secondary drug features by giving examiners more time to review drug patent applications. Our findings suggest that current time allocations are causing examiners to issue low-quality secondary patents on the margin. To assess the merits of expanding ex ante scrutiny of drug patent applications at the agency, we set forth estimates of the various gains and losses associated with giving examiners mo...
-
作者：Danzer, Alexander M.; Zyska, Lennard
作者单位：Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; IZA Institute Labor Economics
摘要：This study identifies the causal effect of pension generosity on wom-en's fertility behavior. It capitalizes on Brazil's expansion of the pen-sion system to rural workers, whose pension wealth subsequently more than tripled. Difference-in-difference, instrumental variable, and event study methods show that the pension reform reduces the propensity of childbearing of women of fertile age by 8 percent in the short run. Completed fertility declines by 1.3 children within 20 years after the reform...
-
作者：Craig, Ashley C.
作者单位：University of Michigan System; University of Michigan
摘要：I study optimal income taxation when human capital investment is imperfectly observable by employers. In the model, Bayesian inference about worker productivity compresses the wage distribution, lowering the private return to human capital investment. An externality arises: given the same information, employers are more optimistic about each individual if workers are generally more productive. The significance of this externality hinges on the accuracy of employers'beliefs and the responsivene...
