Differences in Us-German Time Allocation: Why Do Americans Work Longer Hours than Germans?

26 Pages Posted: 10 Mar 2003

See all articles by Ronald Schettkat

Ronald Schettkat

University of Wuppertal - Department of Economics

Date Written: January 2003

Abstract

The conventional view is that Americans work longer hours than Germans and other Europeans but when time in household production is included, overall working time is very similar on both sides of the Atlantic. Americans spend more time on market work but German invest more in household production. This paper examines whether these differences in the allocation of time can be explained by differences in the incentive structure, this is by the taxwedge and differences in the wage differentials, as economic theory suggests. Its analysis of unique time-use data reveals that the differences in time-allocation patterns can indeed be explained by economic variables.

Keywords: Time Use, Working Hours, Employment, Household Production

JEL Classification: D12, D13, H31, J22

Suggested Citation

Schettkat, Ronald, Differences in Us-German Time Allocation: Why Do Americans Work Longer Hours than Germans? (January 2003). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=382820 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.382820

Ronald Schettkat (Contact Author)

University of Wuppertal - Department of Economics ( email )

42097 Wuppertal
Germany

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