Conferences, workshops and lectures

Marriage is one of the most important determinants of economic prosperity, yet most existing theories of inequality ignore the role of the family. This paper documents that the distributions of earnings and wealth are highly concentrated, even when disaggregated into single and married households. At the same time, there is a large marriage gap: married people earn on average 26 percent more income, and they hold 35 percent more net worth. To account for these facts, I develop a general equilibrium model where females and males face uninsurable income risk and make decisions on consumption-savings, labour supply and marriage formation. In a calibrated version of the model, I show that selection into marriage based on productive characteristics, an effective tax bonus for married couples, and stronger bequest motives for households with descendants are key to accounting for the marriage gap in earnings and wealth. A policy experiment of moving from joint tax filing for married couples to separate filing yields output gains and more marital sorting.

Der Klub der Wirtschaftspublizisten (Bauernmarkt 6, 1010 Wien) lädt am 30. Jänner 2020 um 10:00 Uhr zum Pressegespräch mit WIFO-Leiter em.o.Univ.Prof. Dr. Christoph Badelt und IHS-Direktor Prof. Dr. Martin Kocher ein. Um Anmeldungen unter klub@wirtschaftspublizisten.at wird gebeten.

The Euroframe group of research institutes (CASE, CPB, DIW, ESRI, ETLA, IfW, NIESR, OFCE, PROMETEIA, WIFO) will hold its 17th annual Conference on Economic Policy Issues in the European Union in London on 5 June 2020. The aim of this conference is to bring together academics and policy-oriented economists by providing a forum for debate on economic policy issues relevant in the European context. The 17th Conference will focus on the challenges posed by climate change. Public opinion has changed and European policy-makers, businesses and the financial sector have started to recognise the importance of climate change and biodiversity on the lives of people and the economy. Climate action must stand at the core of long-term growth and infrastructure planning. How do policy-makers ensure that the costs and benefits of climate action are shared equitably at a time when multilateral frameworks have come under threat?