I am updating the third (and final) dissertation paper, the new version of which will be released this winter. I will show how this same reform led to intra-firm spillovers on younger worker hiring and coworker wages.

More broadly, these papers demonstrate that old-age employment is not solely an individual decision but is shaped by (1) labor demand factors that decrease the potential turnover costs for firms and (2) group‑level social norms related to old-age employment among women.

The reform operated through a dual mechanism—firms retained workers due to substitutability incentives (Paper 1: doku.iab.de/discussionpa...), while peers reinforced employment through conformity and social norms regarding old‑age employment among women (Paper 2: doku.iab.de/discussionpa...).

2/4 His research demonstrated the deep connection between labor market outcomes and firm performance, highlighting the role of incentive design and human capital investments.

4/4 He passed away during my dissertation proposal workshop, where I used his papers in motivation slides. It is unfortunate that the Nobel Prize cannot be awarded posthumously—I truly believe he deserved one.

3/4 I spent my 1st research year of PhD reading his papers from 70's on, so novel yet conveyed in a simple, elegant manner. I still keep the notes I took with the main messages from his articles. These readings inspired the three chapters of my dissertation, shaped how I think about labor econ.

2/4 His research demonstrated the deep connection between labor market outcomes and firm performance, highlighting the role of incentive design and human capital investments.

3/3. Women are more likely to remain employed at older ages when their peers do, with stronger effects in West Germany, with its traditional gender norms. Gender-neutral pension reforms thus amplify their impact through peer influence, fostering regional convergence in late-career employment.

2/3. The reform raised women’s earliest claiming age from 60 to 63 for cohorts born in 1952 onward. Using the universe of workgroups from social security records, I compare women whose peers were just above or below the reform cutoff.

Read: cerge-ei.cz/pdf/wp/Wp800... Feedback welcome!

I find that women are more likely to remain employed at older ages when their peers do, with stronger effects in West Germany, with its traditional gender norms. Gender-neutral pension reforms amplify their impact through peer influence, fostering regional convergence in late-career employment.

The reform raised women’s earliest claiming age from 60 to 63 for cohorts born in 1952 onward. Using the universe of workgroups from social security records, I compare women whose peers were just above or below the reform cutoff.

7/7 But academia should be a place where hard work and success are acknowledged without qualification.

Recognizing and addressing these subtle forms of discouragement is essential if we want healthier and more supportive academic communities.

6/7 I believe this dynamic exists partly because academia attracts many people who feel the need to constantly prove themselves — and the easiest way becomes undermining others’ achievements.

5/7 These remarks may sound casual, but they slowly erode confidence and diminish recognition. They’re not just jokes — they’re microaggressions and psychological undermining leading to toxicity at universities or institutions.

4/7 Even when a paper is finally accepted to a top conference after years of revisions and rejections, comments like:
“Acceptance is random anyway — it depends on data or co-authors or affiliation,” are common.

3/7 When a course is passed, an older cohort may say:
“If you took it in our year, it was impossible.”

When the WP is finalized, the response may be “you wrote it fast because you did not do anything else, unlike me”

2/7 When someone wins a competition, the response might be:
“I didn’t even apply,” or “This year it was easy.”