Dipl.-Volkswirtin Susann Kühn

Contact

DLGS, Würzburger Str. 35, room 221

Email:   s.kuehn[...]dlgs.ioer.de
Phone:  +49(0)351 / 463 42351
Fax:       +49(0)351 / 4679 212

 Doctoral Thesis

Working title:
Churches and their secular competitors – The case of Germany
Supervisor:  Prof. Dr. Marcel Thum

Abstract:
For decades, the established churches in Germany have been losing members. This phenomenon is well-known and has received attention in various research fields, but has largely been neglected by economists. This dissertation project deals with causes and consequences of church membership decline in Germany, especially its implications for the voluntary and public sectors. These aspects are discussed in three separate papers.
In the first paper, the demographic, socio-economic and regional characteristics influencing church disaffiliations are investigated. The focus is on the role of church taxes in the decision to opt out of membership. A literature review and a rational choice model lead to the hypotheses that the amount of church tax, age, gender, children in the family, denomination and individuals' region of residence influence the decision. These hypotheses are tested empirically with a large panel data set of German tax returns for the years 2001 to 2006, applying discrete choice estimation methods.
The second paper examines consequences of church disaffiliations for giving to secular charities. A formal model of individual consumption choices suggests that church tax-paying members give less to secular charities than non-members, but will increase their giving when they disaffiliate. The hypotheses are again tested empirically using the German taxpayer panel. Attention is paid to the fact that this is a two-step decision: whether to give at all and how much to give.
The third paper deals with the consequences of declining church membership for the welfare state. There is a growing literature indicating that church members and non-members differ in their attitudes and preferences, e.g. concerning the size of the welfare state. This relationship will be tested empirically with survey data from Germany.
The dissertation will increase understanding of the consequences of the continuing secularization and individualization processes in Germany for the voluntary sector and the welfare state.

CV

Education

Since 2010
Doctoral studies in Economics at Technische Universität Dresden (completion expected in 2012)
2008-2009
Research Assistant, Institute for Applied Public Finances and Fiscal Policy and Chair of Public Economics, Faculty of Economics, Dresden University of Technology
2008
Academic Degree: Diplom-Volkswirtin (equiv. M. A. in Economics), Dresden University of Technology
Diploma Thesis: The partisan theory and its application to public finances
2006-2007
Studies in Economics at Università degli Studi di Trento (Italy)
2003-2008
Studies in Economics at Dresden University of Technology

Awards

Since 01/2010
Scholarship holder at the Dresden Leibniz Graduate School (DLGS)

Research Interests

Social Capital, Demographic Change, Public Finances

Publications

Freigang, D.; Kühn, S. (2010): Demografiesensitivität öffentlicher Haushalte in Deutschland und Österreich, in: Bauer, H.; Pitlik, H.; Schratzenstaller, M. (eds.): Demografischer Strukturwandel als Herausforderung für die öffentlichen Finanzen, Wien/Graz: Neuer Wissenschaftlicher Verlag, 87-109.

Freigang, D.; Kühn, S. (2008): Die Provinz Alberta im föderalen System Kanadas, ifo Dresden berichtet 3/2008, 22-30.