Fakultät Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften

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Die Fakultät vereint Forschung und moderne Lehre nach internationalen Standards. Das Hohenheimer Modell verzahnt dabei betriebs- und volkswirtschaftliche, sozial- und rechtswissenschaftliche Aspekte.

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A data–cleaning augmented Kalman filter for robust estimation of state space models
(2015) Marczak, Martyna; Proietti, Tommaso; Grassi, Stefano
This article presents a robust augmented Kalman filter that extends the data– cleaning filter (Masreliez and Martin, 1977) to the general state space model featuring nonstationary and regression effects. The robust filter shrinks the observations towards their one–step–ahead prediction based on the past, by bounding the effect of the information carried by a new observation according to an influence function. When maximum likelihood estimation is carried out on the replacement data, an M–type estimator is obtained. We investigate the performance of the robust AKF in two applications using as a modeling framework the basic structural time series model, a popular unobserved components model in the analysis of seasonal time series. First, a Monte Carlo experiment is conducted in order to evaluate the com- parative accuracy of the proposed method for estimating the variance parameters. Second, the method is applied in a forecasting context to a large set of European trade statistics series.
Are sociocultural factors important for studying a science university major?
(2015) Grossmann, Volker; Osikominu, Aderonke; Osterfeld, Marius
This paper examines the role of the sociocultural background of students for choosing STEM fields in university. We combine rich survey data on university graduates in Switzerland with municipality level information from the census as well as nationwide elections and referenda to characterize a students home environment with respect to religious and political attitudes towards gender equality and science-related issues. Our empirical estimates are based on a structural Roy model which accounts for differences in costs (relative distance to the next technical university) and earnings across majors as well as for selection bias. Our findings suggest that male students from conservative municipalities are more likely to study a STEM field, whereas the sociocultural background plays little role for the major choice of females.
Auswirkungen der Nutzung mobiler Kommunikation auf die Verbindlichkeit in engen Freundschaften
(2018) Alius, Daniel
Our world becomes faster, more flexible and more short-term due to the possibilities of mobile communication. This development raises the question of its impact on our social relationships as long-term constructs. The present work examines the consequences of the use of mobile communication and online-vigilance on the commitment, responsiveness and behavior in friendships. The theoretical basis of the study is the investment model of Rusbult (1983). Data collection was conducted by an online-survey and a convenience sample in March 2018. 677 users of mobile communication (68% female/ 32% male) from Germany, with an average age of 30, participated in the survey. To investigate the relationships, a structural equation model with latent variables was specified. In addition, mediation effects were examined for their significance. The results show that the use of mobile communication promotes commitment and responsiveness in friendships. Online-vigilance, which captures the cognitive focus on online content and communication, has both, positive and negative effects on the commitment. On the one hand, it leads to a decrease in satisfaction in friendships and, subsequently, to a lower level of commitment, on the other hand, it increases the perception of investment, which increases the commitment. A high level of online-vigilance is also attended by a greater degree of non-committal behavior.
Auswirkungen geplanter Abstandsregelungen und Regelungen zu Konzessionsgrößen auf Spielhallen am Beispiel ausgewählter Kommunen in Baden-Württemberg
(2015) Becker, Tilman; Heinze, Karen
Während der Glücksspieländerungsstaatsvertrag neben dem Verbot der Mehrfachkonzessionen eine Begrenzung der Anzahl der Spielhallen durch die Anzahl der in einer Gemeinde zu erteilenden Erlaubnisse intendierte, haben das LGlüG von Baden-Württemberg und auch die Ausführungsgesetze anderer Bundesländer die Begrenzung der Anzahl der Spielhallenstandorte durch eine Mindestabstandregel zwischen Spielhallen umgesetzt, die sich jedoch von Bundesland zu Bundesland deutlich unterscheidet. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird ein Überblick über die Auswirkungen von Abstandsregelungen und Konzessionsbeschränkungen am Beispiel des Spielhallenbestandes sechs baden-württembergischer Großstädte gegeben (Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Pforzheim, Reutlingen und Ulm).
Auswirkungen geplanter Abstandsregelungen und Regelungen zu Konzessionsgrößen auf Spielhallen am Beispiel Baden-Württembergs
(2016) Li, Xuenan; Becker, Tilman; Heinze, Karen
Der Gesetzgeber hat bis 2012 einen deutlichen Unterschied zwischen der glücksspielrechtlichen Regulierung des Automatenspiels in Spielbanken und dem gewerblichen Automatenspiel in Spielhallen bzw. Gaststätten gemacht. Mit dem Glücksspielstaatsvertrag von 2012 wurden Spielhallen erstmalig in den ordnungsrechtlichen Rahmen des Glücksspielrechts aufgenommen. Die Aufstellung von Geldspielgeräten wird seit 2012 auch durch die Spielhallengesetze bzw. Landesglücksspielgesetze geregelt. Es gelten ab Mitte 2017 Mindestabstandregelungen, die sich je nach Bundesland voneinander unterscheiden, und das Verbot der Mehrfachkonzessionen. Hintergrund dabei ist, dass es zu einer vermehrten Ansiedlung von Spielhallen vor allem im Zentrum von Städten, dem Kerngebiet, gekommen ist. Der Glücksspielstaatsvertrag von 2012 sieht vor, dass ab Mitte 2017 alle Spielhallen eine glücksspielrechtliche Erlaubnis brauchen. Nur solche Spielhallen werden diese Erlaubnis erlangen können, die die glücksspielrechtlichen Vorgaben erfüllen. Hier sind vor allem die Bestimmungen zu dem Mindestabstand und das Verbot der Mehrfachkonzessionen von Bedeutung. Im Rahmen dieses Beitrags sollen die Auswirkungen der Mindestabstandregel und des Verbots der Mehrfachkonzessionen auf die Anzahl der Spielhallen am Beispiel Baden-Württembergs untersucht werden.
Auswirkungen geplanter Abstandsregelungen und Regelungen zu Konzessionsgrößen auf Spielhallen am Beispiel Stuttgarts
(2014) Becker, Tilman; Heinze, Karen
Während der Glücksspieländerungsstaatsvertrag neben dem Verbot der Mehrfachkonzessionen eine Begrenzung der Anzahl der Spielhallen durch die Anzahl der in einer Gemeinde zu erteilenden Erlaubnisse intendierte, hat das LGlüG von Baden-Württemberg die Begrenzung der Anzahl der Spielhallenstandorte durch eine Mindestabstandregel zwischen Spielhallen umgesetzt. Nach § 42 Abs. 3 LGlüG beträgt die Entfernung, die zu einer bestehenden Einrichtung zum Aufenthalt von Kindern und Jugendlichen eingehalten werden muss, mindestens 500 m Luftlinie. Momentan gibt es in der Stadt Stuttgart 132 Konzessionen für Spielhallen, die sich auf 83 Standorte verteilen. Somit bestehen 49 Mehrfachkonzessionen, die spätestens zum Ende der Übergangsfristen des GlüÄndStV zum 30. Juni 2017 nicht mehr zulässig sind. Von den 83 Spielhallenstandorten unterschreiten 54 Objekte den zulässigen Mindestabstand der Spielhallen untereinander. Unter Berücksichtigung dieser Regelungen verbleiben lediglich 29 Spielhallen im Stuttgarter Stadtgebiet. Somit könnte die Gesamtzahl der Konzessionen im Stuttgarter Stadtgebiet aufgrund der strikten Regelungen in Baden-Württemberg auf ca. 20 Prozent zurückgehen.
Baseline assessment and cost analysis of a supplementary feeding intervention on Adivasi children in West Bengal, India : How to diversify diets with locally available resources cost-effectively to reduce the burden of child and maternal undernutrition and anaemia?
(2022) Golembiewski, Silvia; Sousa-Poza, Alfonso
This dissertation presented and analyzed the living, health and nutrition situation of tribal Adivasi children (aged 6-39 months) as well as of their mothers living in rural Birbhum district, West Bengal, India. It was found that extended families use to have higher incomes (p<0.05) compared to nuclear families and that higher education of mothers (having completed at least class eight) is associated with higher incomes, too (p<0.05). Higher incomes were further found associated with a lesser incidence of moderate and severe anaemia amongst children (p<0.05). Further, active child caring was found to decrease the incidence of stunting (p<0.05, for caring efforts of three hours or more per day) - while mothers tied up in cooking (with cooking efforts of 6 and more hours a day) showed to have bigger likelihood of having a wasted or underweight child (p<0.05). It was suggested that the provision of gas cookers along with cooking gas to Adivasi families may be helpful to free mothers to care more actively for their children and reduce therewith child undernutrition. The dissertation further revealed that either father or mother deciding alone how to expense available income is superior to joint spending decisions - and it was in fact HHs with mothers deciding alone which showed the largest share of children with no or merely mild anaemia (p<0.05). It was suggested, accordingly, that mothers may be entrusted to manage a food budget on their own. Very importantly, the nutritional status of children and their mothers was found to be linked, where mothers with adequate BMI (18.5 and higher) had less often than expected a wasted child (p<0.001) and also less often an underweight child (p=0.001). Severe thin mothers (with a BMI<16.0) showed biggest likelihood of having a child with at least one anthropometric failure. No significant association was found between the anaemia status of the mother and her youngest child (p>0.05). Still, non-anaemic mothers showed bigger likelihood of having non-anaemic children than mothers with poorer Hb statuses, and - the other way around - mothers with severe anaemia showed the biggest likelihood of having children with moderate anaemia. It was argued, accordingly, that not only children but also their mothers should be better nourished in order to break the vicious circle of undernutrition - with a focus on lactating mothers who have highest nutritional intake needs. Overall, 94 percent of tribal Adivasi children were found anaemic (n=307, age range: 6-39 months, Hb<11g/dl) as well as 86 percent of their mothers (n=283, Hb<12g/dl). Anaemia in children was found significantly associated with the age of the child (p<0.001) where Hb was found to rise with increasing age and children above three years reached mild forms of anaemia - while children aged 6-23 months commonly suffered from moderate anaemia. Further, the consumption of fruit was found to decrease the incidence of moderate and severe anaemia (p<0.05). There was also a link between child undernutrition and the occurrence of severe anaemia, where children with no anthropometric failure (CIAF indicator) showed lesser likelihood to develop severe anaemia compared to children with at least one anthropometric failure (p<0.05). Seeing the high incidence of anaemia and interlinking to child undernutrition as well as interlinking of nutritional status of children and their mothers - the question arose how to overcome child as well as maternal undernutrition and anaemia? The present comparative intervention study conducted in 21 tribal villages found that providing diversified meals three times a week to children aged 6-39 months rose their mean Hb by 0.98g/dl (compared to 0.45g/dl in the CG); it was found that after 12 months children receiving the diversified meals showed a bigger share of non-anaemic or only mildly anaemic children compared to the CG (p<0.05). Further, children who had received the diversified meals showed bigger likelihood of achieving Hb increases which belong to the top 30 percent of all reported Hb increases (amounting to 1.40g/dl and more) after 12 months of intervention compared to the CG (p<0.01). It was argued, accordingly, that providing nutritious meals to undernourished tribal Adivasi children increases Hb and reduces anaemia. No significant difference in the distribution of non-anaemic and mildly anaemic children versus moderately and severely anaemic children could be found when comparing a group of children who had received a leaf powder of Moringa and Amaranthus along with diversified meals to the CG (p>0.05) and when comparing a group of children who had received a (low dosed) micronutrient sprinkle along with diversified meals (p>0.05). A cost-effectiveness analysis of 425 locally available foods has been conducted in order to work out those foods delivering highest nutrient density in relation to their retail cost (adjusted for edible portion). Foods from the FGs cereals and millets, vegetables, and roots and tubers belonged more often to the top 30 percent of cost-effective foods as per winter-price analysis (p<0.001) - while also grain legumes became cost-effective as per summer-price analysis (p<0.05). While the overall cost-effectiveness of FGs showed little difference considering winter- and summer price analyses, the cost-effectiveness of specific foods within some of the analyzed FGs did actually change (especially in case of vegetables). It was recommended, accordingly, to use most cost-effective locally available foods to nourish undernourished children and mothers adequately - and to consider also seasonal price changes of foods thereby. The developed aggregate cost-effectiveness indicator covered 38 nutrients. Further, five anti-nutritive elements to be limited in the diet of undernourished individuals had been considered: oxalate, phytate, polyphenols, sodium as well as dietary fibre. The need to process foods rich in anti-nutrients in order to cover the RDAs of undernourished children and mothers was highlighted - working out a categorization of anti-nutritive elements in low (≤ 4th percentile), medium (> 4th until ≤ 8th percentile), high (>8th until ≤ 9.5th percentile) or very high (> 9.5th percentile) contents. On the basis of knowing most cost-effective locally available foods and assessing also their anti-nutritive elements, a weekly meal schedule has been worked out in cooperation with the nutritionist Caroline Stiller (who was the second PhD candidate in this twin PhD project and knows the local setting well). It became clear that the RDAs of moderately malnourished children and their mothers can hardly be fully covered with locally available foods alone - where a deficit of 20 and more percent of the RDA remained with regard to vitamins A, E, B1 and B2, as well as of zinc and linoleic acid (children), with regard to vitamins A, E, B1, B2 and B9, as well as of potassium and linoleic acid (lactating women), with regard to vitamins B1, B2 and B9, as well as of iron, potassium and linolenic acid (pregnant women), and with regard to vitamins B1 and B2, as well as of iron, potassium and linolenic acid (non-pregnant and non-lactating women). It was further found that the costs associated with the suggested cost-effective and nutrient-dense weekly meal schedule exceeded available family budgets (calculated based on n=66 HHs and with respect to consumed portion sizes of children and mothers) by 217 percent in case of children (with a weekly cost of 267 Rs. rather than the available 144 Rs.), and by 200 percent in case of lactating, pregnant as well as non-pregnant non-lactating mothers. The role of government services (AWCs, the PDS, and the MGNREGA), kitchen gardening/wild plant collection, own fishing activities and crop diversification in covering this deficit was enumerated and it was found that AWCs are able to cover the largest part of the weekly financing deficit (amounting to 34 percent in case of children), followed by kitchen gardens/wild plant collection (24 percent). As breastfeeding is deeply rooted in the Santal Adivasi communities (96 percent of mothers, n=275, were found to breastfeed their youngest child - with a mean age of 21.2 months), it is proposed in this dissertation that lactating women should be included as beneficiaries of AWCs in order to cover their nutrient needs and break - finally - the circle of undernutrition where children and mothers need to be seen together, rather than focusing merely on children in the well-known 1000-days window of opportunity.
Bringing light into the dark side of digitalization : consequences, antecedents, and mitigation mechanisms
(2023) Schmied, Fabian; Gimpel, Henner
As digital technologies permeate all aspects of our professional and private lives, digitalization causes profound changes for individuals, organizations, and societies. The use of digital technologies makes many activities easier, safer, faster, or more comfortable. In addition to many positive changes, digital technologies are also associated with numerous risks and side effects. The use of digital technologies might come along with severe negative consequences for individuals, organizations, and societies. The negative consequences can be triggered by various antecedents. In addition to identifying the negative consequences of digitalization and their antecedents, it is particularly important to develop appropriate mitigation mechanisms. This dissertation provides novel insights for IS researchers to better understand the negative consequences of using digital technologies. It contains a broad overview of the risks and side effects of digitalization and investigates related antecedents and mitigation mechanisms. To reach this goal, regarding research methods, this dissertation relies on the structured analysis of (scientific) literature and (expert) interviews as well as the analysis and interpretation of empirical data. Chapter 2 contributes to the research on the negative consequences of digitalization. Section 2.1 provides a comprehensive multi-level taxonomy of the risks and side effects of digitalization (RSEDs). Section 2.2 builds on Section 2.1 and is a substantial expansion and improvement of Section 2.1. The iterative taxonomy development process was complemented by four additional cycles. The final taxonomy comprises 11 RSEDs and their 39 subtypes. Both articles show that there is a wide range of risks and side effects of digitalization that need to be explored in more detail in the future. Chapter 3 focuses on the antecedents of digitalization’s negative consequences. Section 3.1 sheds light on individuals’ concerns towards automated decision-making. The concerns are derived from academic literature and semi-structured interviews with potential users of algorithm-based technologies. Section 3.2 focuses on the evaluation of specific mHealth app features by potential users in Germany and Denmark. The study draws on survey data from both countries analyzed using the Kano method. Further, it comprises a quartile-based sample split approach to identify the underlying relationships between users’ characteristics and their perceptions of the mHealth app features. The results show significant differences between Germans and Danes in the evaluation of the app features and demonstrate which of the user characteristics best explain these differences. Both articles shed light on possible antecedents of negative consequences (i.e., user dissatisfaction, non-use) and thus contribute to a better understanding of the occurrence of negative consequences. Chapter 4 shows exemplary mitigation mechanisms to cope with the negative consequences of digitalization. Section 4.1 takes an organizational perspective and identifies data privacy measures that can be implemented by organizations to protect the personal data of their customers and address their privacy concerns. These measures were evaluated by analyzing data from two independent online surveys with the help of the Kano method. Section 4.2 focuses on an individual perspective by presenting the concept of a privacy bot that contributes to strengthening the digital sovereignty of internet users. With the help of the privacy bot, page-long privacy statements can be checked against previously stored individual data protection preferences. Both articles provide appropriate mitigation mechanisms to cope with users’ privacy concerns. These two examples show that there are a variety of ways to counter the risks and side effects of digitalization. The research articles included in this dissertation identify various risks and side effects of digitalization that need to be explored in more detail in future research. The two articles on antecedents help to better understand the occurrence of negative consequences of digitalization. The development of appropriate countermeasures, two of which are exemplified in this dissertation, should result in the benefits of digital technologies outweighing their risks.
Change - spontane Assoziationen und Einstellungen : Ergebnisse einer qualitativen Umfrage in der Stuttgarter Bevölkerung
(2009) Mücke, Daniel
Wir leben in einer dynamischen Umwelt. Verantwortlich für diese Schnelllebigkeit sind Veränderungen verschiedenster Art: im Job, auf den Märkten oder aber auch im privaten Bereich. Und das Tempo, mit dem sich diese Veränderungen vollziehen, hat nicht zuletzt auch durch den technischen Fortschritt weiter zugenommen. Veränderungen machen unsicher, manchmal sogar Angst, auf jeden Fall sind sie immer weniger zu kalkulieren. Expect the unexpecteted. Was so einfach klingt, ist in der Realität eine mit vielen Unsicherheiten behaftete Strategie. Die Unternehmen agieren innerhalb von Modellen oder ?Rastern?, die ihnen als Handlungsanleitungen in Veränderungssituationen dienen sollen. Doch die Ängste und Bedürfnisse der Menschen ? welche eigentlich Basis jeglichen Handelns in Change-Prozessen sein sollten ? finden kaum Beachtung. Die vorliegende Studie soll erste Ansätze zur Schließung dieser Lücke geben.
Change by (almost) all means: The role of conspiracy mentality in predicting support for social change among the political left and right
(2023) Winter, Kevin; Pummerer, Lotte; Sassenberg, Kai
Right-wing movements across the globe call for system-changing actions. This development contradicts the typically assumed resistance to change among the political right. Many of these movements use conspiracist rhetoric and, thus, we reasoned that conspiracy mentality might be associated with the striving for system change—especially on the political right. In four cross-sectional studies in Germany (one nationally quota-balanced, one preregistered; total N = 1539) we found that high conspiracy mentality was related to support for social change among the right and to support for reactionary social change among the left. Support for change among those high in conspiracy mentality was diminished when elected representatives (vs the population) were thought to drive social change. These results suggest that both right wingers and left wingers high in conspiracy mentality support change in ways that are seemingly incompatible with their political orientation.
Change communication zwischen Gefühl und Kalkül : theoretische Überlegungen und Ergebnisse aus Umfragen
(2008) Mast, Claudia
Der Wandel, den Gesellschaften, Unternehmen und Individuen bewältigen, wird immer schneller, spürbarer und komplexer. Change Management als Aufgabenfeld hat in der letzten Dekade Karriere gemacht. Veränderungen sind zur Normalität und Change Management bzw. Kommunikation zur alltäglichen Herausforderung von Firmen aller Branchen und Größen geworden. Kein Wunder, dass die Literatur mit Hinweisen, worauf bei Veränderungsprozessen zu achten ist, nahezu unübersichtlich wird. Dennoch ? so die ernüchternde Bilanz von Andreas Voß und Ulrike Röttger im prmagazin 4/2008 ? fehle in Wissenschaft und Praxis nach wie vor ein belastbarer Rahmen, um Changeprozesse erfolgreich zu gestalten. Über den realen Verlauf von Changeprojekten gibt es nur wenige empirische Studien. Es ist kaum Nachprüfbares bekannt. Weder die Unternehmen noch die beratenden Agenturen lassen sich eben gerne in die Karten schauen und manchmal werden auch Auswirkungen von Projekten erst lange nach den Abschlussberichten sichtbar, wenn möglicherweise die Verantwortlichen in Agentur und Unternehmen längs andere Aufgaben übernommen haben. Eines ist jedoch klar: Unternehmen sind komplexe, soziale Systeme, die in immer volatileren Umfeldern agieren. Sie sind sowohl Betroffene als auch Treiber des Wandels. Schließlich leben sie davon, Innovationen aller Art zu generieren und zu verkaufen ? und dieses unter dem dynamischen Einfluss des Wettbewerbs. Es kann daher keine einfachen und pauschalen Antworten auf die Frage geben, wie erfolgreiche Change Communication aussieht.
Clustering surgical procedures for master surgical scheduling
(2017) Kressner, Alexander; Schimmelpfeng, Katja
The sound management of operating rooms is a very important task in each hospital. To use this crucial resource efficiently, cyclic master surgery schedules are often developed. To derive sensible schedules, high-quality input data are necessary. In this paper, we focus on the (elective) surgical procedures’ stochastic durations to determine reasonable, cyclically scheduled surgical clusters. Therefore, we adapt the approach of van Oostrum et al (2008), which was specifically designed for clustering surgical procedures for master surgical scheduling, and present a two-stage solution approach that consists of a new construction heuristic and an improvement heuristic. We conducted a numerical study based on real-world data from a German hospital. The results reveal clusters with considerably reduced variability compared to those of van Oostrum et al(2008).
Curtailment of civil liberties and subjective life satisfaction
(2021) Windsteiger, Lisa; Ahlheim, Michael; Konrad, Kai A.
This analysis focuses on the lockdown measures in the context of the Covid-19 crisis in Spring 2020 in Germany. In a randomized survey experiment, respondents were asked to evaluate their current life satisfaction after being provided with varying degrees of information about the lethality of Covid-19. We use reactance as a measure of the intensity of a preference for freedom to explain the variation in the observed subjective life satisfaction loss. Our results suggest that it is not high reactance alone that is associated with large losses of life satisfaction due to the curtailment of liberties. The satisfaction loss occurs in particular in combination with receiving information about the (previously overestimated) lethality of Covid-19.
Detailed RIF decomposition with selection : the gender pay gap in Italy
(2017) Töpfer, Marina
In this paper, we estimate the gender pay gap along the wage distribution using a detailed decomposition approach based on unconditional quantile regressions. Non-randomness of the sample leads to biased and inconsistent estimates of the wage equation as well as of the components of the wage gap. Therefore, the method is extended to account for sample selection problems. The decomposition is conducted by using Italian microdata. Accounting for labor market selection may be particularly relevant for Italy given a comparably low female labor market participation rate. The results suggest not only differences in the income gap along the wage distribution (in particular glass ceiling), but also differences in the contribution of selection effects to the pay gap at different quantiles.
Do sexist comments hinder participation in online political discussions?
(2023) Reich, Sabine; Bachl, Marko
Women who visibly engage in politics online experience a lot of backlash. The presented study investigates sexist incivility against women in online political spaces as a possible explanation for the gender gap in online political discussion and expression. Online sexism solidifies the masculine norm in online political spaces. Drawing on social cognitive theory and the theory of normative social behavior, we understand online incivility as communication mechanisms that enforce gender norms in online political discussions. We use a preregistered online survey experiment with German Internet users to investigate how sexist comments in online political discussions affect women’s participation in the discussion, perceived social norms about participating, and their internal political efficacy. We found no effects of sexist comments on the propensity to engage in the discussion or the political efficacy to contribute. However, the presence of sexist comments increased the fear of sanctions in both men and women. The null findings of the preregistered experiment occurred despite sufficient statistical power and a successful treatment check. We discuss several possible explanations for the null effects and ways forward.
Ergebnisse der (nicht repräsentativen) Online-Befragung „Einstellungen und Kenntnisse gegenüber Glücksspielen“
(2013) Becker, Tilman; Wöhr, Andrea; Salback, Anne
Im Zeitraum vom 21. Dezember 2011 bis zum 29. Februar 2012 war auf der Internetseite der Forschungsstelle Glücksspiel der Universität Hohenheim ein Fragebogen mit insgesamt 16 Fragen abzurufen. Teilnehmer der Befragung waren somit Besucher der Internetseite, bei denen bereits eine Affinität zum Thema angenommen werden kann. Die Stichprobenauswahl entspricht demzufolge einem nicht-repräsentativen Convenience Sample. Ergebnisse: Glücksspiele werden von den Befragten als spannende bzw. aufregende Aktivität mit sozialem Aspekt angesehen, jedoch nicht als unbedenkliches Freizeitvergnügen oder als Möglichkeit zur Geldbeschaffung verharmlost. Die höchste Suchtgefahr wird den Glücksspielautomaten in Spielbanken und Casinos und Tischspielen in Casinos zugesprochen. Eine Schätzung des Prozentwertes, wie viele Menschen in Deutschland pathologisch Glücksspiele spielen, fällt den Befragten schwer. Gute Kenntnisse zeigen die Teilnehmer jedoch bei der Einschätzung der Legalität verschiedener Glücksspielarten; diese konnten sie in fast allen Fällen korrekt als „erlaubt“ oder „verboten“ einschätzen, wenngleich nicht immer ganz eindeutig. Insbesondere bezüglich der Online-Angebote scheint die Unsicherheit hoch zu sein. Möglicherweise ist vielen nicht klar, dass Online-Angebote zum Zeitpunkt der Befragung verboten waren. Eindeutig falsch dagegen ist die Einschätzung bzgl. der Legalität von Sportwetten in Wettbüros.
Das Ernährungsverhalten als Schauplatz latenter Werthaltungen
(2012) Wolf, Anne Alice; Buß, Eugen
This thesis answers the question, how social values actively help to make food decisions. It shows that values make a big contribution towards explaining food habits. Apparent food habits can therefore be interpreted as manifestation of latent values. In order to answer the central research question, this thesis consists of four parts ? the first three parts build the theoretical base for the later empirical study. The first two parts describe the actual nutritional situation in Germany, and they show what nutritional trends actually can be observed there. The third part describes the status quo of sociological value research. Finally, the central research question is to be answered within the context of the empirical study ? a qualitative analysis of an online community. Therefore, the selected approach is a netnography.
Essays in health economics
(2023) Meng, Fan; Sousa-Poza, Alfonso
As the global economy and healthcare evolve, subjective well-being is increasingly becoming a topic of interest in the field of health economics. In this dissertation, we try to investigate subjective well-being from two related aspects: obesity and marriage. Obesity is a global health crisis that has reached alarming proportions in recent years. Defined as an excessive accumulation of body fat, obesity has far-reaching implications for both individ- ual health and society as a whole. Its prevalence has steadily risen, with over 650 million adults worldwide classified as obese, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO). This epidemic has led to a surge in obesity-related health problems, including diabetes, cardio- vascular disease, and certain types of cancer, making it a pressing concern for healthcare systems and policymakers. Estimates of the cost of obesity are an important basis for the development and evaluation of obesity-related policies. Previous studies have estimated the direct and indirect costs of obesity, but in addition to these, the intangible costs of obesity are also noteworthy. The intangi- ble costs of obesity are associated with a loss of well-being. In addition, obesity-related inequality may also combine with peer effects to lead to lower well-being in obese individuals. So, ignoring the intangible costs of obesity may lead to underestimating the benefits of obesity control policies. Marriage, without a doubt, is a major event in life. People from almost any socio-cultural back- ground consider marriage-related decisions such as whether to get married, when to get married, and with whom to get married. But nowadays, in increasingly countries around the world, mar- riage rates continue to decline and the age of first marriage continues to be delayed, so we sought to analyze whether these trends are related to marriage-related well-being. The contributions of each chapter are shown below: Chapter 2 uses SOEP 2002-2018 data and a life satisfaction-based compensation approach to quantify the intangible costs of overweight and obesity. Previous literature documents the direct and indirect economic costs of obesity, yet none has attempted to quantify the intangible costs of obesity. This study focuses on quantifying the intangible costs of one unit body mass index (BMI) increase and being overweight and obese in Germany. Our results underscore how existing research into obesity’s economic toll may underestimate its true costs, and they strongly imply that if obesity interventions took the intangible costs of obesity into account, the economic benefits would be considerably larger. Chapter 3 uses data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), investigates the changes in the BMI distribution and obesity inequality among German adults aged 18+ between 2002-2018 and estimates the relationship between obesity inequality and subjective well-being. The results show that the rise in obesity prevalence is mainly due to an overall rightward shift of the BMI distribution, accompanied by an increase in left skewness. Over the entire 16-year period, obe- sity inequality increased significantly, especially among females, those with low education levels, and low-income groups. The results also document a significant association between different measures of obesity inequality and subjective well-being, especially among women. Chapter 4 explores the trends in the subjective well-being (SWB) of never-married people (referenced with the married) and the factors that account for the gaps in SWB between never- married and married people. By employing a harmonized data from surveys conducted in six distinct countries, namely Australia (HILDA), South Korea (KLIPS), Russia (RLMS), Switzerland (SHP), Germany (SOEP), and the United Kingdom (BHPS and UKHLS), our analysis discerns a consistent and statistically significant association between never-married status and lower levels of life satisfaction, a relationship that has exhibited no substantial alteration over time. Particularly noteworthy is the discernible reduction in life satisfaction among never-married individuals in South Korea in comparison to their married counterparts. The thesis concludes with a short summary in chapter five.
Essays on health and nutrition in China
(2015) Nie, Peng; Sousa-Poza, Alfonso
This dissertation aims to investigate several major socio-economic determinants of health and nutrition in China. By using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) spanning from 1991 to 2009, this enhances the understanding of the transition of health and nutrition with such unprecedented economic and social changes in China. This dissertation contains six chapters: more specifically, Chapter 1 gives a brief description of general background, research aim and also the outline. Then Chapter 2 examines the association between maternal employment and childhood obesity. Chapter 3 takes a comprehensive look at how income changes are related to calorie intake. Chapter 4 investigates the impacts of peers (one of most important aspects of social networks) on childhood and adolescent adiposity. Chapter 5 assesses the nexus between long work hours and health. Finally, Chapter 6 ends with some main conclusions and discussions. Chapter 2 analyses the alarming increase of overweight and obese children and considers the higher female employment participation in China. We analyze how maternal employment is correlated with childhood obesity in China. Our work makes a non-Western comparison in this field, which is useful as it is rather difficult to generalize the results (mostly significant positive association between maternal employment and childhood obesity) from related studies in the Western world. More importantly, we further explore how maternal employment is related to two key transmitters of obesity: diet and physical activities. We find no association of maternal employment and childhood adiposity. Moreover, maternal employment is also not associated with either diet or physical activity of children. However, our results are well consistent with some recent evidence in Europe (Greve, 2011; Gwozdz et al., 2013), supporting the evidence that maternal employment might not necessarily be detrimental to child adiposity. One tentative explanation is that, the major source of informal childcare in China is grandparents, who are more likely to provide childcare with a high quality. In Chapter 3, we provide an empirical analysis that looks at the association between income and calorie intake via a variety of parametric, nonparametric and semiparametric approaches. By means of panel data settings, we are capable of capturing time-invariant individual heterogeneity. It is worth noting that taking a close look at calorie-income elasticities is crucial and implicative of the effectiveness of income-mediated policies for food security in China. Our findings provide strong evidence that calorie-income elasticities are small, irrespective of using parametric, nonparametric, or semiparametric techniques. Furthermore, these elasticities remain small when taking nonlinearities into consideration, and also for sub-analysis for gender, individuals with differences in calorie intake or even impoverished households. Although calorie-income are small, our results are well in line with some prior studies (Bishop et al., 2010; Lu and Luhrmann, 2012; Shankar, 2010; Zhong et al., 2012), suggesting that households might be quite successful in maintaining calorie intake stable as income changes. Also note, despite the marked increase in income, the Chinese demand for better food quality, food diversity and food safety have amplified (Gale and Huang, 2007; Liu et al., 2013b), instead of an increased demand for calorie intakes. Chapter 4 takes a detailed look at how peer effects are associated with childhood and adolescent obesity in China. It expands the empirical work beyond the Western domain in light of different cultural backgrounds between individualistic and collective societies. Furthermore, it broadens the dominant front of adolescents and adults by analyzing children as well. Note that, understanding peer effects on childhood adiposity is of great significance primarily because, as emphasized by Dishion and Tipsord (2011), children’s consumption behaviors are influenced by their peers. More importantly, childhood adiposity could result in persistent adulthood overweight or obesity (Loh and Li, 2013). In addition, the use of self-perceived perceptions of body weight allows for an exploration of the relation between peer effects and individual perceptions of weight status, thereby providing insights into understanding pathways by which peer effects operate within a relatively broader environment. We provide further evidence that peer effects exist not only among adolescents, but also children, suggesting that the formation of health lifestyles associated with peers is important for young children. In addition, we find that the magnitudes of peer effects change greatly over the distribution of individual BMI and stronger effects are observable at the upper end than at the bottom or median. This finding implies that obese individuals are more vulnerable to peers. Furthermore, females are more susceptible compared to males, which mirrors some U.S studies among adolescents (see, for instance, Trogdon et al., 2008). More importantly, we find that community-level average peer BMI is associated with self-perceived bodyweight in adolescents, providing evidence that a higher average peer BMI is related to the probability of a self-assessed perception of overweigh, in particular, for adolescent girls. All in all, our results support the existence of peer effects on childhood and adolescent obesity, but the magnitudes fall within the broader range for the U.S. adolescent studies using similar specification to ours. Therefore, it implies that peer effects do not necessarily strengthen within a collectivistic society, like China, as in comparison to the counterparts of an individualistic society, like the U.S. In Chapter 5, we provide a comprehensive picture of how long work hours are related to health, using not only subjective but also objective measures. Also, it provides a valuable comparison with existing studies predominantly in the Western world. More importantly, it explores several potential mechanisms through which long work hours could impact upon one’s health. In particular, it investigates the relation between long work hours and specific lifestyles, such as sleep, diet (calorie and fat intakes, time spent food preparation and cooking), physical activities (sports participation and time spent on sedentary activities). Apart from a cross-sectional settings, it also adopts a panel analysis, which allows for controlling for unobserved individual heterogeneity. Because, to the best of our knowledge, the only three studies in China (Fritjers et al., 2009; Verité, 2004; Zhao, 2008) all investigate subjective measures of health via cross-sectional data. We reveal that working above 50 hours per week (31-40 hours per week as the comparison), increases the probability of suffering from high blood pressure, though the effects are relatively small. Also, self-evaluated health is poorer for individuals working long hours compared with those weekly working 31-40 hours, however the effect is not so strong. Eventually, long work hours have various impacts of different aspects of individual lifestyles. Specifically, we cannot find a positive correlation between long work hours and obesity. Nevertheless, long work hours seem to be related to a decreased fat intake and less time spent on sedentary activity like watching TV. But, long work hours decrease the probability of sports participation. In summary, we provide limited evidence that long work hours in China have deleterious influences on health or lifestyles. Therefore, further research needs to explore the potential impacts of long work hours on other health or lifestyle measures. References Bishop, J.A. Liu, H.Y. & Zheng, B.H. 2010. Rising incomes and nutritional inequality in China. . In: BISHOP, J. A. (ed.) Studies in Applied Welfare Analysis: Papers from the Third ECINEQ Meeting. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing. Dishion, T.J. & Tipsord, J.M. 2011. Peer contagion in child and adolescent social and emotional development. Annual Review of Psychology, 62, 189-214. Fritjers, P. Johnston, D.W. & Meng, X. 2009. The mental health cost of long working hours: the case of rural Chinese migrants. Mimeo. Greve, J. 2011. New results on the effect of maternal work hours on childrens overweight status: does the quality of child care matter? Labour Economics, 18(5), 579-590. Gwozdz, W. Sousa-Poza, A. Reisch, L.A. Ahrens, W. Henauw, S.D. Eiben, G. Fernandéz-Alvira, J.M. Hadjigeorgiou, C. De Henauw, S. Kovács, E. Lauria, F. Veidebaum, T. Williams, G. & Bammann, K. 2013. Maternal employment and childhood obesity - a European perspective. Journal of Health Economics, 32(4), 728-742. Gale, F. & Huang, K.S. 2007. Demand for food quantity and quality in China, Economic Research Report. No.32. Washington D.C. : US Department of Agriculture. Lu, L. & Luhrmann, M. 2012. The impact of Chinese income growth on nutritional outcomes. Available from Liu, R.D. Pieniak, Z. & Verbeke, W. 2013b. Consumers attitude and behaviour towards safe food in China: a review. Food Control, 33(1), 93-104. Loh, C.P. & Li, Q. 2013. Peer effects in adolescent bodyweight: evidence from rural China. Social Science & Medicine, 86, 35-44. Shankar, B. 2010. Socio-economic drivers of overnutrition in China. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 23(5), 471-479. Trogdon, J.G. Nonnemaker, J. & Pais, J. 2008. Peer effects in adolescent overweight. Journal of Health Economics, 27(5), 1388-99. Verité 2004. Excessive overtime in Chinese supplier factories: causes, impacts and recommendations for action. Verité Research Paper, Amherst, Massachusetts. Zhong, F.N. Xiang, J. & Zhu, J. 2012. Impact of demographic dynamics on food consumption: a case study of energy intake in China. China Economic Review, 23(4), 1011-1019. Zhao, Z. 2008. Health demand and health determinants in China. Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, 6(1), 77-98.
Food insecurity among older Europeans : evidence from the survey of health, ageing, and retirement in Europe
(2016) Sousa-Poza, Alfonso; Nie, Peng
Using data from the fifth wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, this study investigates the association between food insecurity (FI) and several demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related characteristics in a sample of European residents aged 50 and over. Our initial analysis reveals that in 2013, the proportions of 50+ individuals reporting an inability to afford meat/fish/poultry or fruit/vegetables more than 3 times per week were 11.1% and 12.6%, respectively. It also indicates that not only income but also functional impairment and chronic disease are significantly associated with an increased probability of food insecurity. In a subsequent nonlinear decompositional analysis of the food unaffordability gap between European countries with high versus low FI prevalence, our rich set of covariates explains 36–39% of intercountry differences, with household income, being employed, and having functional impairment and/or chronic disease as the most important contributors.

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