Cohort-Specific Effects of the Expansion of the Welfare State on Job Opportunities: A Longitudinal Analysis of Three Birth Cohorts in the Federal Republic of Germany

Samenvatting

To analyze the impact of the expanded welfare state on the labor market in the Federal Republic of Germany, data were obtained from K. U. Mayer's & E. Bruckner's Lebensverlaufe und Wohlfahrtsentwicklung. Materialien aus der Bildungsforschung No. 35 ([Life Course and Welfare Development: Materials from Educational Research No. 35] Berlin: Max-Planck-Instit, 1989), based on a 1981-1983 survey of men & women (N = 2,171) in 3 birth cohorts (1929-1931, 1939-1941, & 1949-1951). Analysis reveals that at labor market entry, the relationship between higher education & the civil service grew stronger during the expansion of the welfare state. Additionally, distinctive cohort & education effects of expanding public sector employment on labor force entry increased for occupational careers. Opportunities of younger cohorts increased not only at labor force entry, but also at the point of transfer from the private sector, where the probability of obtaining secure jobs improved for the 1949-1951 cohort. Within the public sector, however, no cohort- or education-specific effects for the shift to the private sector were detected. 4 Tables, 64 References. Adapted from the source document.