https://hdl.handle.net/10419/64868 Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), University of Essex Mon, 14 Sep 2026 01:17:58 GMT 2026-09-14T01:17:58Z https://hdl.handle.net/10419/324429 Title: Returns to testosterone across men's earnings distribution in the UK Authors: Eibich, Peter; Kanabar, Ricky; Plum, Alexander Abstract: We study how population variation in testosterone levels impacts male labour market earnings using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study between 2011 and 2013. We exploit genetic variation between individuals as instrumental variables following a Mendelian Randomization approach to address the endogeneity of testosterone levels. Our findings show that higher testosterone levels have a strong positive impact on earnings. Importantly, these findings are limited to men belonging to the lower quartile of the testosterone distribution and working in higher-paid jobs. We show that differences within rather than between occupations drive these findings, whereas we find limited support for selection into occupation or mechanisms involving individual characteristics, including personality traits and education. Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10419/324429 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10419/324430 Title: The daughter penalty Authors: Bhalotra, Sonia; Clarke, Damian; Nazarova, Angelina Abstract: Looking at the earnings profiles of men and women after their first child is born, a number of studies establish that women suffer a larger penalty in earnings than men-a child penalty. Leveraging randomness in the sex of the first birth, we show that the child penalty in the UK is larger when the first born child is a girl. We label this the daughter penalty. Exploiting rich longitudinal survey data, we examine behavioural responses to the birth of a daughter vs. a son to illuminate the underpinnings of the daughter penalty. We find that the birth of a daughter triggers more household specialisation than the birth of a son, with mothers taking on a larger share of household chores and childcare. Mothers suffer a daughter penalty in mental health, while fathers report more satisfaction with their relationship. Our findings imply that girls and boys in the UK are, on average, growing up in different home environments, with girls growing up in households that, by multiple markers, are more gender-regressive. This is potentially a mechanism for the inter-generational transmission of gendered norms. Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10419/324430 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10419/324453 Title: Redistributive effects of non-contributory pension schemes in the European Union Authors: Cellino, Francesco; Coda Moscarola, Flavia; Figari, Francesco Abstract: This paper investigates the role of non-contributory pension schemes in alleviating poverty among the elderly in the European Union. Non-contributory pensions, which are not linked to previous earnings or contributions, are a key element of public pension systems aimed at reducing poverty in old age. Using EUROMOD, the European tax-benefit microsimulation model, this study covers pension schemes in place in 2021 in most EU countries. Our findings show that non-contributory pensions are a significant component of older individuals' income in nearly all EU countries, particularly in nations like Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands, where universal basic pensions exist. In most other countries, these pensions are targeted at the poorest elderly. Our simulations estimate that abolishing non-contributory pensions would lead to a heterogeneous increase in elderly poverty rates across countries up to 64 percentage points. We also find that countries with more generous non-contributory schemes tend to have stronger general social assistance instruments. Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10419/324453 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10419/324449 Title: The buffering effect of the Austrian tax-benefit system on child poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic Authors: Geyer, Leonard; Groß-Wohlgemuth, Felix Abstract: This paper analyses the effect of the COVID-19-induced labour market shock on household income, the at-risk-of-poverty (AROP) rate for children in Austria, and the buffering effect of the Austrian tax-benefit system. We apply Paulus & Tasseva's (2020) decomposition analysis based on EUROMOD simulations and propose a new approach to adjust Austrian EU-SILC data to control for benefit payments included in income variables. Our results indicate that automatic stabilisers and discretionary policy measures protected households with children from significant market income shocks, preventing an increase in child poverty between 2019 and 2020. However, comparing 2019 and 2021, the tax-benefit system was less successful in protecting lower-income families, resulting in an increase in the child AROP rate. Furthermore, we show that not adjusting input data would overestimate disposable income increases and distort the effects of discretionary policies and automatic stabilisers. Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/10419/324449 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z