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This paper studies the determinants of the voluntary provision of user-generated (online) content. Using data from the largest fanfiction website, we find that writers respond differently to new original material: conditional on text length, writing times increase for the average writer and even more for the elite of prolific writer. We explain this finding with quality concerns. In addition, we find supportive evidence that community feedback encourages first-time contributors to continue publishing. For more established writers, we find that community feedback has a rather dampening effect on text lengths and writing times. Overall, these effects are more pronounced for high-quality community feedback ('reviews') compared to low-quality community feedback ('following', 'favoriting')., Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

Workplace flexibility in the context of collaborative tasks offers many benefits but also carries several risks. While more collaborators can reduce fatigue and enhance performance (we call this the ‘fatigue effect’), coordination costs also increase (we call this the ‘coordination costs effect’). We investigate this trade-off in a complex team task with high effort costs in a natural setting. We use an instrumental variables approach combined with an extensive sensitivity analysis to identify the effect of in-game substitutions on performance in professional basketball. Results indicate that an increased number of collaborators (players) has a negative effect on team performance. We also find that the most successful teams are able to optimally trade off both effects. Version of record

We use data from top-level soccer to examine determinants of individual misbehaviour in team contests. Our estimates indicate a significant positive and non-linear relationship between a player's age and (relative) ability on the one hand and the tendency to misbehave on the other. These findings are consistent with Social Learning Theory in that the group of high-status players may has learned that the consequences of misconduct are low and manageable. Furthermore, we demonstrate that misbehaviour is costly to both the players and their teams.

This study analyses whether the decision to work while sick can be linked to workload fluctuations. Drawing on data collected from professional soccer, we exploit the dynamics of a season and use additional (national and international) cup games conducted in the second half of a season as a source of exogenous variation. We find robust evidence that players are 6.1 percentage points more likely to return from injuries earlier than expected when their teams are exposed to a high workload. The effect is driven by players who are more important to their teams and those who are less vulnerable to injuries. Finally, we find that presenteeism comes at the cost of an early comeback significantly shortening the time until the next injury by approximately 27 days.

This paper analyzes the link between the subject choices of German students in upper secondary school and teacher gender when these choices are taken. Our results corroborate the hypothesis that teacher gender matters in this regard, and they indicate that girls respond more strongly than boys to same-sex role models. While the probability to choose German as an advanced course in upper secondary school increases to a rather similar (i.e., symmetric) extent for both girls and boys when having a same-sex teacher in this subject in grade 10, teacher gender matters only for girls with respect to choosing math on the advanced level.

Using comprehensive data from German visual artists, we provide strong empirical evidence of a gender gap in revenues. We find that female artists have significantly lower revenues from the art market and are about ten percentage points less likely to remain in the top category over three years. This gap persists in the most prominent art forms and is more pronounced for younger artists. Only 30 to 40 percent of these gaps can be explained by differences in observable characteristics. We also find differences in the networking behaviour of the artists of different genders: females are connecting more, whereas males tend to create tighter links, suggesting the importance of the latter for the art market., Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

This study examines gender differences in overconfidence and decision-making in a high-stakes environment. Using data on more than 40,000 individual attempts from international freediving competitions, we provide evidence that women, on average, are less likely than men to overestimate their ability. This result is robust to different measures of overconfidence and can be partly explained by experience. There are no substantial gender differences on the intensive margin of overconfidence. In terms of performance, results suggest that women suffer more from overconfidence than men.

Women are underrepresented in leadership positions - academia is no exception. Using data on careers of doctoral graduates in Germany, we study gender differences in the decision to stay at university as a postdoctoral researcher and in the intention to become a professor. We find that gender gaps related to aiming for a professorship can be fully explained by observable characteristics other than gender. On the contrary, even after adding controls for an array of characteristics relevant to academic careers, we find female graduates to be 5.9 percentage points less likely to hold a postdoctoral position which allows them to qualify for professorship.

Workplace exibility offers a wide range of opportunities but also carries risks within the context of collaborative tasks. While increasing the number of collaborators can reduce fatigue and therefore enhance performance, it also increases coordination costs. Our study investigates this trade-off in a complex team task with high effort costs in a natural setting. We use the instrumental variables method combined with an extensive sensitivity analysis to identify the causal effect of in-game substitutions on performance in professional basketball. Our findings suggest that increasing the number of collaborators, on balance negatively affects team performance. However, we also provide evidence that the most successful teams are able to optimally trade off both effects.

Der Projektbericht dokumentiert die Planung und Durchführungsphase des Projekts „Erstellung kursunterstützender Lehrvideos“ im Rahmen des NRW-Zertifikatsprogramms „Professionelle Lehrkompetenz“ („Modul 3“). Neben der Motivation enthält der Bericht technische und inhaltliche Details zu den zwei Aufnahmephasen sowie eine abschließende Reflexion. Zudem findet eine Anbindung an das Zertifikatsprogramm statt., Innovative Lehrprojekte an der FernUniversität in Hagen, vol. 2019, 2

This study examines gender differences in risk-taking behavior among managers in a female-dominated industry. Using data from international top-level women's soccer, we provide evidence that male coaches show a lower level of risk-taking than female coaches on average. We also find a U-shaped age effect that is independent of gender, meaning that young and more mature individuals tend to take riskier decisions. Our main results therefore strongly contrast with the majority of previous studies on gender differences in risk preferences, and thereby emphasize the importance of considering the industrial environment. Underlying selection processes may play an important role. We find no correlation between the gender gap in risk-taking and female empowerment defined by national gender equality scores.

Internationally, there is no consensus concerning the legal and moral judgment of prostitution. Nevertheless, there is an overwhelming agreement on the need to fight sexual slavery. We analyze how a law - introduced to punish clients of commercial sex services - affects market outcomes. More specifically, we examine how the so-called "neo-abolitionism" or "Nordic" prostitution regime impacts sexual slavery. The theoretical analysis reveals that this effect is ambiguous and crucially depends on the size of the deterrence effect and on local properties of the market demand. In addition, we highlight the conditions under which the composition of clients changes towards more risk-seeking individuals. Policy implications that arise are identified and discussed.