@article{StieglitzMirbabaieDeubeletal.2023, author = {Stieglitz, Stefan and Mirbabaie, Milad and Deubel, Annika and Braun, Lea-Marie and Kissmer, Tobias}, title = {The potential of digital nudging to bridge the gap between environmental attitude and behavior in the usage of smart home applications}, series = {International Journal of Information Management}, volume = {72}, journal = {International Journal of Information Management}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0268-4012}, doi = {10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2023.102665}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Despite energy efficiency measures, global energy demand has gradually increased due to global economic growth and changes in consumer behavior. Even if people are aware of the problem and want to change their energy consumption, they have difficulty acting on their attitudes. This is called the attitude-behavior gap. To narrow this gap and reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions, behavioral interventions beyond technological advances must be considered. A promising intervention is nudging, which uses insights from behavioral economics to gently nudge individuals toward more sustainable choices. In this study, we investigate how modifying digital choice architectures with nudges can be used to influence consumer energy conservation behavior in smart home applications (SHAs). We conducted an online experiment with 391 participants to test the effectiveness of the following three digital nudges in an SHA: self-commitment, reminder, and social norm nudge. While the results of a structural equation model indicated no effect on bridging the gap between attitude and behavior, we found the potential to promote energy conservation with two nudge types. Thus, this paper makes substantial contribution to persuasive and information systems-enabled sustainability for a better world in the form of digital nudges for emerging technologies.}, language = {en} } @article{BiloBiloLenzneretal.2022, author = {Bilo, Davide and Bilo, Vittorio and Lenzner, Pascal and Molitor, Louise}, title = {Topological influence and locality in swap schelling games}, series = {Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems}, volume = {36}, journal = {Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems}, number = {2}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {1387-2532}, doi = {10.1007/s10458-022-09573-7}, pages = {60}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Residential segregation is a wide-spread phenomenon that can be observed in almost every major city. In these urban areas residents with different racial or socioeconomic background tend to form homogeneous clusters. Schelling's famous agent-based model for residential segregation explains how such clusters can form even if all agents are tolerant, i.e., if they agree to live in mixed neighborhoods. For segregation to occur, all it needs is a slight bias towards agents preferring similar neighbors. Very recently, Schelling's model has been investigated from a game-theoretic point of view with selfish agents that strategically select their residential location. In these games, agents can improve on their current location by performing a location swap with another agent who is willing to swap. We significantly deepen these investigations by studying the influence of the underlying topology modeling the residential area on the existence of equilibria, the Price of Anarchy and on the dynamic properties of the resulting strategic multi-agent system. Moreover, as a new conceptual contribution, we also consider the influence of locality, i.e., if the location swaps are restricted to swaps of neighboring agents. We give improved almost tight bounds on the Price of Anarchy for arbitrary underlying graphs and we present (almost) tight bounds for regular graphs, paths and cycles. Moreover, we give almost tight bounds for grids, which are commonly used in empirical studies. For grids we also show that locality has a severe impact on the game dynamics.}, language = {en} } @article{MargaryanPaulSiedler2021, author = {Margaryan, Shushanik and Paul, Annemarie and Siedler, Thomas}, title = {Does education affect attitudes towards immigration?}, series = {Journal of human resources}, volume = {56}, journal = {Journal of human resources}, number = {2}, publisher = {University of Wisconsin Press}, address = {Madison}, issn = {0022-166X}, doi = {10.3368/jhr.56.2.0318-9372R1}, pages = {446 -- 479}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel and exploiting the staggered implementation of a compulsory schooling reform in West Germany, this article finds that an additional year of schooling lowers the probability of being very concerned about immigration to Germany by around six percentage points (20 percent). Furthermore, our findings imply significant spillovers from maternal education to immigration attitudes of her offspring. While we find no evidence for returns to education within a range of labor market outcomes, higher social trust appears to be an important mechanism behind our findings.}, language = {en} } @article{TjadenHeidland2024, author = {Tjaden, Jasper and Heidland, Tobias}, title = {Did Merkel's 2015 decision attract more migration to Germany?}, series = {European journal of political research}, journal = {European journal of political research}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0304-4130}, doi = {10.1111/1475-6765.12669}, pages = {1 -- 17}, year = {2024}, abstract = {In 2015, German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to allow over a million asylum seekers to cross the border into Germany. One key concern was that her decision would signal an open-door policy to aspiring migrants worldwide - thus further increasing migration to Germany and making the country permanently more attractive to irregular and humanitarian migrants. This 'pull-effect' hypothesis has been a mainstay of policy discussions ever since. With the continued global rise in forced displacement, not appearing welcoming to migrants has become a guiding principle for the asylum policy of many large receiving countries. In this article, we exploit the unique case study that Merkel's 2015 decision provides for answering the fundamental question of whether welcoming migration policies have sustained effects on migration towards destination countries. We analyze an extensive range of data on migration inflows, migration aspirations and online search interest between 2000 and 2020. The results reject the 'pull effect' hypothesis while reaffirming states' capacity to adapt to changing contexts and regulate migration.}, language = {en} } @article{AngerChristophGalkiewiczetal.2024, author = {Anger, Silke and Christoph, Bernhard and Galkiewicz, Agata and Margaryan, Shushanik and Peter, Frauke and Sandner, Malte and Siedler, Thomas}, title = {War, international spillovers, and adolescents}, series = {Journal of Economic Behavior \& Organization}, volume = {224}, journal = {Journal of Economic Behavior \& Organization}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0167-2681}, doi = {10.1016/j.jebo.2024.03.009}, pages = {181 -- 193}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Using novel longitudinal data, this paper studies the short- and medium-term effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 on social trust of adolescents in Germany. Comparing adolescents who responded to our survey shortly before the start of the war with those who responded shortly after the conflict began and applying difference-in-differences (DiD) models over time, we find a significant decline in the outcome after the war started. These findings provide new evidence on how armed conflicts influence social trust and well-being among young people in a country not directly involved in the war.}, language = {en} } @article{RodriguezSanchezWucherpfennigRischkeetal.2023, author = {Rodr{\´i}guez S{\´a}nchez, Alejandra and Wucherpfennig, Julian and Rischke, Ramona and Iacus, Stefano Maria}, title = {Search-and-rescue in the Central Mediterranean Route does not induce migration}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {13}, journal = {Scientific reports}, number = {1}, publisher = {Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-023-38119-4}, pages = {1}, year = {2023}, abstract = {State- and private-led search-and-rescue are hypothesized to foster irregular migration (and thereby migrant fatalities) by altering the decision calculus associated with the journey. We here investigate this 'pull factor' claim by focusing on the Central Mediterranean route, the most frequented and deadly irregular migration route towards Europe during the past decade. Based on three intervention periods—(1) state-led Mare Nostrum, (2) private-led search-and-rescue, and (3) coordinated pushbacks by the Libyan Coast Guard—which correspond to substantial changes in laws, policies, and practices of search-and-rescue in the Mediterranean, we are able to test the 'pull factor' claim by employing an innovative machine learning method in combination with causal inference. We employ a Bayesian structural time-series model to estimate the effects of these three intervention periods on the migration flow as measured by crossing attempts (i.e., time-series aggregate counts of arrivals, pushbacks, and deaths), adjusting for various known drivers of irregular migration. We combine multiple sources of traditional and non-traditional data to build a synthetic, predicted counterfactual flow. Results show that our predictive modeling approach accurately captures the behavior of the target time-series during the various pre-intervention periods of interest. A comparison of the observed and predicted counterfactual time-series in the post-intervention periods suggest that pushback policies did affect the migration flow, but that the search-and-rescue periods did not yield a discernible difference between the observed and the predicted counterfactual number of crossing attempts. Hence we do not find support for search-and-rescue as a driver of irregular migration. In general, this modeling approach lends itself to forecasting migration flows with the goal of answering causal queries in migration research.}, language = {en} } @article{LiedlFritschSamperMejiaetal.2023, author = {Liedl, Bernd and Fritsch, Nina-Sophie and Samper Mejia, Cristina and Verwiebe, Roland}, title = {Risk perceptions of individuals living in single-parent households during the COVID-19 crisis}, series = {Frontiers in sociology}, volume = {8}, journal = {Frontiers in sociology}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2297-7775}, doi = {10.3389/fsoc.2023.1265302}, pages = {13}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The COVID-19 crisis had severe social and economic impact on the life of most citizens around the globe. Individuals living in single-parent households were particularly at risk, revealing detrimental labour market outcomes and assessments of future perspectives marked by worries. As it has not been investigated yet, in this paper we study, how their perception about the future and their outlook on how the pandemic will affect them is related to their objective economic resources. Against this background, we examine the subjective risk perception of worsening living standards of individuals living in single-parent households compared to other household types, their objective economic situation based on the logarithmised equivalised disposable household incomes and analyse the relationship between those indicators. Using the German SOEP, including the SOEP-CoV survey from 2020, our findings based on regression modelling reveal that individuals living in single-parent households have been worse off during the pandemic, facing high economic insecurity. Path and interaction models support our assumption that the association between those indicators may not be that straightforward, as there are underlying mechanisms-such as mediation and moderation-of income affecting its direction and strength. With respect to our central hypotheses, our empirical findings point toward (1) a mediation effect, by demonstrating that the subjective risk perception of single-parent households can be partly explained by economic conditions. (2) The moderating effect suggests that the concrete position at the income distribution of households matters as well. While at the lower end of the income distribution, single-parent households reveal particularly worse risk perceptions during the pandemic, at the high end of the income spectrum, risk perceptions are similar for all household types. Thus, individuals living in single-parent households do not perceive higher risks of worsening living standards due to their household situation per se, but rather because they are worse off in terms of their economic situation compared to individuals living in other household types.}, language = {en} } @article{SchmidtWellenburgSchmitz2023, author = {Schmidt-Wellenburg, Christian and Schmitz, Andreas}, title = {Divided we stand, united we fall?}, series = {International review of sociology}, volume = {33}, journal = {International review of sociology}, number = {3}, publisher = {Taylor \& Francis}, address = {London}, issn = {0390-6701}, doi = {10.1080/03906701.2023.2244170}, pages = {512 -- 545}, year = {2023}, abstract = {This contribution presents an analysis of the structure and conflictual dynamics of contemporary German sociology which has recently separated into two professional societies. Using geometric data analysis, we present an empirical construction of the power/knowledge structure of the field, its paradigmatic plurality, and the various forms of sociological practices involved.}, language = {en} } @article{KhalilLietzMayer2022, author = {Khalil, Samir and Lietz, Almuth and Mayer, Sabrina J.}, title = {Overeducation as moderator for the link between job change and job satisfaction among immigrants and natives in Germany}, series = {Current psychology}, volume = {42}, journal = {Current psychology}, number = {30}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York, NY}, issn = {1046-1310}, doi = {10.1007/s12144-022-03695-7}, pages = {26692 -- 26708}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Job satisfaction is a major driver of an individual's subjective well-being and thus affects public health, societal prosperity, and organisations, as dissatisfied employees are less productive and more likely to change jobs. However, changing jobs does not necessarily lead to higher job satisfaction in the long run. Previous studies have shown, instead, that changing jobs only increases job satisfaction for a short period of time before it gradually falls back to similar levels as before. This phenomenon is known as the 'honeymoon-hangover' pattern. In our study, we identify an important new moderator of the relation between job change and job satisfaction: the job-education match of job changes. Based on relative deprivation theory, we argue that job changes from being overeducated in a job lowers the likelihood of negative comparisons and thus increases the honeymoon period, lessens the hangover period, and increases long-term job satisfaction. We use data from the Socio-Economic Panel ranging from 1994-2018 and focus specifically on individual periods of employees before and after job changes (n = 134,404). Our results confirm that a change to a job that requires a matched education has a stronger and longer-lasting effect on job satisfaction, and that this effect is slightly lower for respondents born abroad.}, language = {en} } @article{KhalilKohlerTjaden2022, author = {Khalil, Samir and Kohler, Ulrich and Tjaden, Jasper Dag}, title = {Is There a Rural Penalty in Language Acquisition? Evidence From Germany's Refugee Allocation Policy}, series = {Frontiers in Sociology}, volume = {7}, journal = {Frontiers in Sociology}, publisher = {Frontiers}, address = {Lausanne, Schweiz}, issn = {2297-7775}, doi = {10.3389/fsoc.2022.841775}, pages = {1 -- 11}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Emerging evidence has highlighted the important role of local contexts for integration trajectories of asylum seekers and refugees. Germany's policy of randomly allocating asylum seekers across Germany may advantage some and disadvantage others in terms of opportunities for equal participation in society. This study explores the question whether asylum seekers that have been allocated to rural areas experience disadvantages in terms of language acquisition compared to those allocated to urban areas. We derive testable assumptions using a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) which are then tested using large-N survey data (IAB-BAMF-SOEP refugee survey). We find that living in a rural area has no negative total effect on language skills. Further the findings suggest that the "null effect" is the result of two processes which offset each other: while asylum seekers in rural areas have slightly lower access for formal, federally organized language courses, they have more regular exposure to German speakers.}, language = {en} }