Relationships In Germany Research Articles

Unemployment-Inflation Relationship in Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany has been one of the historically remarkable countries socially and economically. In this context, one of the outstanding issues is undoubtedly the correlation between unemployment and inflation, which is at the intersection of economy and social policy. Therefore, in the study, the unemployment-inflation trade-off in Germany was examined with the help of macroeconomic data in the context of the Modified/Original Phillips Curve, which explores the unemployment-inflation relationship. The empirical study method is time series analysis, and the monthly data set covers the period from January 1992 to April 2023. According to the study's findings, no causality relationship could be detected between unemployment and inflation variables in Germany in the period, neither in the long run nor in the short run. Therefore, it shows that the German economy does not have to put up with the inflation problem in the fight against unemployment and the unemployment problem in the battle against inflation. In this respect, it would be beneficial to thoroughly examine the German labour market structure and monetary policy strategy in the literature.

Antecedent and outcome study on energy transition - empirical evidence from G7 countries in TBL approach

Increasing investment in energy R&D (SDG 7.4) is critical to fostering the renewable energy transition (SDG 7.2) and in a way to meet the global climate target (SDG 13). Although public investments in renewable energy are increasing, they remain insufficient to meet the G7 countries' climate commitments. In the present study, renewable R&D investment (RRDI) is considered as an antecedent variable to determine its influence on the outcome variable renewable energy share (RES) when mediated by transition variables. The energy transition variables are categorized into Triple Bottom Line (TBL) factors namely, Economic factors (Fossil Energy Price, Low carbon trade), Social factors (Nationally determined contributions, Unemployment), and Environmental factors (Renewable energy installed Capacity, Environmental Tax, Fossil Fuel Subsidies), they play the role of the mediating variables. The proposed conceptual framework is supported by regulatory focus theory to promote R&D investment. The hypotheses are tested for G7 countries' annual data spanning the years 2000 to 2021 using SPSS mediation analysis with Process-Macro. The analysis reveals that TBL factors are significantly enhancing the RRDI and RES relationships in Germany, Japan, and the UK. The USA and Japan experience less economic impact from oil price fluctuations. The NDCs are mediating to a greater extent to improve the relationship between R&D and renewable energy in Canada, France, and the UK. The lack of significant mediation effects of economic, social, and environmental factors in the USA and Italy indicates that policies in the USA and Italy are not strategically managed to improve the relationship between RRDI and RES. Further, the study suggests designing policies considering TBL principles to increase their average renewable R&D public investments to attain Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7). The G7 energy transition has slowed down due to an imbalance in the policies to regulate the prevention-promotional aspects of the energy transition.

Infant carrying: Associations with parental reflective functioning, parental bonding and parental responses to infant crying.

Infant carrying may have beneficial effects on the parent-infant relationship but only limited research has been conducted in this area. Therefore, the main aim of the current study was to investigate whether infant carrying is associated with parental reflective functioning, parental bonding, and parental (emotional) and behavioral responses to infant crying, key elements within the parent-infant relationship, promoting infant development. Parents reporting high levels (N=389) of infant carrying (six times a week or daily) and parents reporting low levels (N=128) of infant carrying (less than once a week or not at all) who participated in an online survey about the developing parent-infant relationship in Germany were included in the present study. Standardized questionnaires were used to assess parental reflective functioning, parental bonding impairments, and emotional responses to infant crying. Further insensitive (non-responsive and hostile) behaviors in response to infant crying were assessed. Parents with high levels of infant carrying showed better parental reflective functioning, lower parental bonding problems, less negative emotions, and less insensitive behaviors in response to infant crying.

On the Relationship between Telework and Health in Germany: Causal or Selection Effects?

Teleworking has become a popular work arrangement in many developed countries. Although there are heated public debates over the benefits of teleworking, empirical evidence on the causal relationship between teleworking and health is still rare. Using panel data from the German BAuA Working Time Survey (2015, 2017, and 2019), the authors investigated the effects of teleworking on health and well-being. The authors applied an innovative research design to underscore different sources of selection. Overall, no concrete evidence was found for the positive effect of teleworking on workers’ self-reported health, quality of sleep, and psychosomatic conditions. The ostensible better health outcomes among teleworkers could be partially explained by the positive selection on both prior levels and prior trajectories of health into teleworking. Moreover, the health impacts of telework were contingent on workers’ gender and parenthood status and the intensity of teleworking. These findings indicate that the positive association between teleworking and health appears to reflect selection bias rather than a causal relationship in Germany before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Analyzing the strategy–performance relationship in Germany – can we still use the common strategic frameworks?

PurposeThis study examines the strategy–performance relationship within publicly traded German firms. Strategic management literature provides several strategic frameworks that offer guidance on promising strategies. However, given major changes, such as globalization, managers wonder whether strategic frameworks are still applicable.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ principal component analysis (PCA) to measure competitive strategy and analyze a sample of 6,037 firm-years among 651 firms between 2000 and 2019.FindingsWhile the authors find evidence for the existence of efficiency-based strategies, differentiation-based strategies and mixed strategies, only differentiation-based strategies are positively related to performance.Originality/valueThe study’s results contribute to the discourse on the strategy–performance relationship, as they provide insights into promising strategies that are of interest to researchers and practitioners. Further, the authors introduce a new measure of competitive strategy based on PCA.

Gendered share of housework and the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining self-ratings and speculation of others in Germany, India, Nigeria, and South Africa.

This cross‐sectional study examined gender differences between male‐ and female‐typed housework during the early COVID‐19 lockdowns in 2020. Participants in Germany, India, Nigeria, and South Africa (N = 823) rated their housework share before and during the lockdown, then speculated about the division of housework performed by men and women in general, before and post‐lockdown. Women spent more time on female‐typed tasks and men (in Nigeria and South Africa) on male‐typed tasks before and during the lockdown. Irrespective of participants’ gender, they speculated that men's and women's housework was more pronounced post‐lockdown than before, but we only found gender differences in South Africa and India. Gender role ideology (GRI) moderated the gender‒housework relationship in Germany, but gender did not moderate the paid work hours and housework relationship in any country. Our findings suggest that gendered housework persisted in these countries and raises concerns that this pattern is likely to continue post‐lockdown.

THE ROLE OF CONTRACTUAL PRINCIPLES IN CONTEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS IN GERMANY: IS THERE A LESSON TO LEARN FOR SOUTH AFRICA? PART 1

An employment contract is preceded by the conclusion of a valid contract between an employee and an employer. Prior to the commencement of an employment relationship the parties must be in agreement as regards the terms of their contract. It was traditionally accepted that the parties entered into a contract in the hope of securing reciprocal advantages for themselves, and that the parties accordingly should be able to contract on the terms they desired. This argument lost momentum seeing that the employment relationship became even more curtailed by various statutory provisions. Likewise, the contractual freedom of employers and employees alike to determine the terms of their contractual relationship has been limited in Germany by various enactments. The role and impact of traditional contractual principles as they present in contemporary employment relationships in Germany are explored in this article, ultimately to determine whether these principles remain significant at all. It is established that these traditional contractual principles, emanating from an employment relationship, not only remain essential, but moreover continue to featurein contemporary employment relationships in Germany in a distinctive and unique way. Furthermore the on-going interaction between these contractual principles and the provisions of statute is regarded as valuable for employment relationships in South Africa.

Success Factor Negotiation: The Covid-19 Pandemic as an Opportunity Structure

This work-in-progress paper provides insight into the conception and the empirical procedure within the project "Success Factor Negotiation − The Covid-19 pandemic as an Opportunity Structure for (Re)Shaping the Negotiation Culture in Couple Relationships." The project analyses couple relationships in Germany with regard to techniques of negotiation established during the pandemic and their impact on participation and career opportunities for women. The crisis in the field of (institutional) childcare that accompanied the pandemic has created a special situation in which everyday practices, routines, and rituals that often prevailed in everyday life had to be radically changed or redesigned. This in turn created an "opportunity structure" for negotiation in the private sphere of couple relationships. The negotiation skills developed and negotiation strategies and techniques practiced during this period of upheaval can become a decisive lever for the "post-Corona period" in order to question existing role models and the social orders associated with them. Studies dealing with conflict of compatibility in the Covid-19 pandemic to date have been primarily based on quantitative methods and paint a contradictory picture of how couples have dealt with the tension between family work and employment. This is where the project comes in, using a qualitative approach to investigate the role that negotiations played in dealing with the changed conditions in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In doing so, we add a new dimension to previous studies by not only examining the results of conflict of compatibility and role distribution, but also shedding light on how these conflicts have been resolved. Thereby, we identify negotiation patterns that influence the extent of egalitarian distribution of family work on the one hand and the assertion of career ambitions on the other hand.

Muslim Women in Interfaith Partnerships in Germany

The number of Muslim-interfaith couples in European countries has become significant due to transnational migration and a growing number of Muslims living in Muslim Minority countries. While the challenges for partners in such unions are complex, this article focuses on the lived experiences of Muslim women in interfaith intimate relationships in Germa ny. Drawing on field interviews with women in mixed-faith relationships, the following questions are central: How do Muslim women conceptualize religious identity and practices? Do they face challenges from different groups (Muslim communities, their families, friends, etc.) and if so, how do these challenges manifest? If respondents create concepts of being Muslim for themselves, how do these evolve in their narratives? How do they question, adapt or discard theological and social demands? Preliminary results illustrate that some respondents would appreciate a Muslim community that accepts their positionality as intermarried Muslim women. Looking at the narration of religious practices and concepts of Muslimness in the interviews, it becomes clear that a classification as haram, or legally forbidden, puts a simple categorical bar in front of a socially and theologically complex context. The inquiry combines interview analysis with situational mapping and is informed by Grounded Theory methodology.

THE ROLE OF CONTRACTUAL PRINCIPLES IN CONTEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS IN GERMANY: IS THERE A LESSON TO LEARN FOR SOUTH AFRICA? PART 2

An employment contract is preceded by the conclusion of a valid contract between an employee and an employer. Prior to the commencement of an employment relationship the parties must be in agreement as regards the terms of their contract. It was traditionally accepted that the parties entered into a contract in the hope of securing reciprocal advantages for themselves, and that the parties accordingly should be able to contract on the terms they desired. This argument lost momentum seeing that the employment relationship became even more curtailed by various statutory provisions. Likewise, the contractual freedom of employers and employees alike to determine the terms of their contractual relationship has been limited in Germany by various enactments. The role and impact of traditional contractual principles as they present in contemporary employment relationships in Germany are explored in this article, ultimately to determine whether these principles remain significant at all. It is established that these traditional contractual principles, emanating from an employment relationship, not only remain essential, but moreover continue to featurein contemporary employment relationships in Germany in a distinctive and unique way. Furthermore the ongoing interaction between these contractual principles and the provisions of statute is regarded as valuable for employment relationships in South Africa.

Single and Multiple Orgasm Experience Among Women in Heterosexual Partnerships. Results of the German Health and Sexuality Survey (GeSiD)

Orgasm occurrence plays an important role in general sexual satisfaction for women. Until now, only few studies have focused on examining a broad spectrum of sexuality- and relationship-specific factors associated with orgasm in heterosexual women currently in a long-term relationship or on differences between the overall experience of orgasm and multiple orgasms. The present study aims to understand how various sexuality- and relationship-associated factors are related to experiencing partnered orgasm among heterosexual women having stable relationships in Germany. Moreover, the study aims to differentiate between the overall experience of orgasm and the experience of multiple orgasms and shed light on their impact on general sexual satisfaction. Within the nationwide representative survey GeSiD (German Health and Sexuality Survey), n=1,641 sexually active women aged between 18 and 75 years in heterosexual relationships reported their experience of orgasm during the latest sexual encounter. Data on the type of sexual practices, frequency of sexual activity and of masturbation, relationship satisfaction, feelings of love, closeness, and general sexual satisfaction were analyzed. The overall experience of orgasm, the experience of multiple orgasms, and associations between experiencing orgasm and sexual satisfaction. Frequency of sexual activity, relationship satisfaction, feelings of love and closeness were moderately to strongly positively correlated with each other and each showed positive associations with the likelihood of orgasm. Greater number of sexual practices and frequency of sexual activity were associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing multiple orgasms, which in turn was correlated with higher sexual satisfaction. In clinical and therapeutic work with women who have difficulty achieving orgasm, central issues should be the perceived relationship quality as well as regular sexual activity with the partner. The present population-representative study is the first in Germany to identify significant factors associated with the experience of orgasm among heterosexual women in relationships. Further studies ought to include the frequency of orgasms in partnered sex over a longer period of time as well as the experience of orgasm during masturbation. The experience of orgasm for women is related to a variety of complex interpersonal mechanisms and to be associated with sexual satisfaction. Cerwenka S, Dekker A, Pietras L, et al. Single and Multiple Orgasm Experience Among Women in Heterosexual Partnerships. Results of the German Health and Sexuality Survey (GeSiD). J Sex Med 2021;18:2028-2038.

Park–People Relationships: The Socioeconomic Monitoring of National Parks in Bavaria, Germany

Questions about park–people relationships and the understanding and handling of the conflicts that may result from the creation and management of national parks in the surrounding area are prerequisites for both successful park management and sustainable rural tourism development. This paper analyzes the roles that research may play in relation to park–people relationships in the context of the two oldest German national parks located in Bavaria. The different fields of action of national parks are used to identify the potential for conflict, using detailed case studies from the Bavarian Forest and Berchtesgaden National Parks using quantitative population surveys carried out in 2018. The overall attitude towards both national parks is overwhelmingly positive, with trust towards park administrations and the perceived economic benefits from rural tourism being the attitudes most strongly correlated to the overall level of park–people relationships. Nevertheless, some points of contention still exist, like the ecological integrity approach towards strict nature conservation and related landscape changes (e.g., deadwood cover). A comparison over time shows in both cases that the spatial proximity to the protected area negatively influences people’s attitudes towards the parks, but less so than in the past. Recommendations for national park management include communicating proactively and with greater transparency with locals and decision-makers, to identify conflicts earlier and, where possible, to eliminate them. Furthermore, developing a standardized method to monitor park–people relationships in Germany is a must and would benefit integrated approaches in research and management based on conservation social science.

An Assessment of House Loans Cointegration with Macro Variables in Selected Euro Zone Countries

This paper performs an empirical study on house loans, interest rates, unemployment, and house rent prices relationship in Germany, France, Spain and Italy from the year 2003 to 2018. We look for the cointegration and causality relationship between the house loans and macro variables with the help of the Vector error correction model (VECM) and Granger causality methods. We investigate whether variables with monthly data explain better the relationship and causal effects between the variables. We find a long term cointegrating relationship between the real house loans and interest rates, unemployment and house rent prices for France, Spain, and Italy, but not for Germany. On average the equilibrium in house loan development is reached from 4 to 8 years, meaning that long term equilibrium exists, but the variables reach it in a rather long time period. The ECB deposit facility rate included as an exogenous variable in four countries gained no significant power in explaining the short term changes of house loans in any of the country. We reveal a complex interaction between the bank’s credits and unemployment, interest rates, house rental prices in the paper.

Credit Supply, Firms, and Earnings Inequality

We study the distributional effects of a monetary policy-induced firm-level credit supply shock on individual wages and employment. To this end, we construct a novel dataset that links worker employment histories to firms' bank credit relationships in Germany. We document that firms in relationships with banks that were more exposed to negative monetary policy rates in 2014 see a relative reduction in credit supply. A negative credit supply shock in turn is associated with lower firm-level average wages and employment. These effects are concentrated among distinct worker groups within firms, with initially lower-paid workers more likely to be fired and initially higher-paid workers more likely to receive wage cuts. At the same time, wages decline by more at initially higher-paying firms. Consequently, wage inequality within and between firms decreases. Our results suggest that monetary policy has important distributional effects in the labor market.

تحليل أثر الضغط الضريبي على إعادة توزيع الدخل في دول مختارة

تعد العلاقة بين الضغط الضريبي وتوزيع الدخل من الموضوعات التي أخذت حيزاً واسعاً من النقاش على إعتبار أن قاعدة العدالة الضريبة تفترض أن تكون الضريبة الى جانب إعادة توزيع الدخل، وهنالك إختلاف واضح في هذا الموضوع بين الدول المتقدمة والدول النامية وهذا الإختلاف يبرز بشكل إتجاهات مختلفة للعلاقة السببية بين هذين المتغيرين والبحث الحالي هو محاوله لإعطاء صورة عن العلاقة بين الضغط الضريبي وتوزيع الدخل المعبر عنه بمعامل جيني في دولتين إحداهما دولة متقدمة (المانيا) والثانية من الدول النامية الناهضة (الأرجنتين) وتم إستخدام مدة للدراسة إمتدت للمدة 1990-2016 وأستخدمت الأساليب القياسية الحديثة للتوصل الى طبيعة العلاقة وتوصل البحث الى إستنتاج مهم مفادهُ إن العلاقة بين المتغيرين في الارجنتين كانت معنوية في حين لم تكون العلاقة معنوية في المانيا ويبرر ذلك بإختلاف انواع وتقنيات الضرائب وكذلك التباين في مستوى التطور الإقتصادي بين البلدين.

Book review: Welfare beyond the Welfare State: The Employment Relationship in Germany and the UK

Book review: Welfare beyond the Welfare State: The Employment Relationship in Germany and the UK

Are Strategic Frameworks Still Applicable? Analyzing the Strategy-Performance Relationship in Germany

This study examines the strategy-performance relationship within publicly traded German firms. Strategic management literature provides several strategic frameworks that offer guidance on promising strategies. However, due to major changes such as globalization and fundamental differences between the strategic frameworks, managers wonder whether strategic frameworks are still applicable and, if so, which one is the right one. We introduce a new measure of competitive strategy and analyze a sample of 4,364 firm-years among 543 firms between 2006 and 2017. Our results suggest common strategic frameworks such as the approach of Miles and Snow’s (1978) still fits to the corporate landscape in Germany. We find strategies based on efficiency or differentiation as well as combinations of both to be associated with superior performance within the industry. Our results contribute to the discourse on the strategy-performance relationship as our results provide insights into promising strategies that are of interest for researchers and practitioners.

Adoption and Assisted Reproduction in Germany

AbstractIn Germany, as elsewhere, couples and individuals suffering from unwanted childlessness have two principal means to overcome it. One, adoption, has existed and been quite heavily regulated for centuries. The other, assisted reproduction, has only recently come into its own and has not yet been comprehensively dealt with by the German legislature.This monograph provides a survey of adoption and assisted reproduction as alternative (non-coital) ways of establishing parent-child relationships in Germany. Part 1 on adoption sets out the current regulatory framework and discusses a number of recent ‘hot topics,’ including adult and stepparent adoptions.Unlike for adoption, there is little state regulation for assisted reproduction in Germany. Most of the complex legal issues are dealt with by professional self-regulation and ordinary family-law rules. Part 2 sets out what forms of assisted reproduction are currently permitted; who has access to them; and how parental status is allocated. It also discusses the child’s right to know its genetic origins; the risks to donors; and the implications of ‘reproductive tourism.’

Сексуальне життя російських військовополонених у Німеччині й Австро-Угорщині в роки Першої світової війни

Сексуальне життя російських військовополонених у Німеччині й Австро-Угорщині в роки Першої світової війни

The Social Stratification of Environmental and Genetic Influences on Education: New Evidence Using a Register-Based Twin Sample

The relative importance of genes and shared environmental influences on stratification outcomes has recently received much attention in the literature. We focus on education and the gene-environmental interplay. Specifically, we investigate whether—as proposed by the Scarr-Rowe hypothesis—genetic influences are more important in advantaged families. We argue that the social stratification of family environments affects children's chances to actualize their genetic potential. We hypothesize that advantaged families provide more child-specific inputs, which enhance genetic expression, whereas the rearing environments of children in disadvantaged families are less adapted to children's individual abilities, leading to a suppression of genetic potential. We test this relationship in Germany, which represents an interesting case due to its highly selective schooling system characterized by early tracking and the broad coverage of part-time schools. We use novel data from the TwinLife panel, a population-register–based sample of twins and their families. Results of ACE-variance decompositions support the Scarr-Rowe hypothesis: Shared environmental influences on education matter only in disadvantaged families, whereas genetic influences are more important in advantaged families. Our findings support the growing literature on the importance of the gene-environmental interplay and emphasize the role of the family environment as a trigger of differential genetic expression.