How Robust are Simulated Employment Effects of a Legal Minimum Wage in Germany?: A Comparison of Different Data Sources and Assumptions

Posted: 2 Sep 2009

See all articles by Kai-Uwe Müller

Kai-Uwe Müller

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin)

Date Written: July 1, 2009

Abstract

Several empirical minimum wage studies have recently been published that simulate employment effects of a federal minimum wage in Germany. We disentangle various factors that explain the variation in previous simulation results. Based on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel and the newly available "Verdienststrukturerhebung 2006" we conduct robustness analyses that systematically test the range in the outcomes of different labor demand simulations. We find that labor demand effects are sensitive to measurement errors in wages, the representativeness of the sample with respect to several types of labor inputs as well as estimated and assumed labor demand and output price elasticities. Interactions of those determinants may lead to substantial differences in simulation outcomes.

Keywords: minimum wage, wage distribution, employment effects, labor demand

JEL Classification: J23, J31, J38

Suggested Citation

Müller, Kai-Uwe, How Robust are Simulated Employment Effects of a Legal Minimum Wage in Germany?: A Comparison of Different Data Sources and Assumptions (July 1, 2009). DIW Berlin Discussion Paper No. 900, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1465424 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1465424

Kai-Uwe Müller (Contact Author)

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) ( email )

Mohrenstraße 58
Berlin, 10117
Germany

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
100
Abstract Views
987
Rank
479,512
PlumX Metrics