Wer die Existenz und Dynamik sozialer Strukturen verstehen will, muss wissen, wie das Handeln individueller Akteure zu kollektiven, strukturbildenden Verhaltensmustern führt. Marcel Erlinghagen und Karsten Hank machen Studienanfänger mit einer handlungsorientierten Sozialstrukturanalyse vertraut, die sie dazu befähigt, sozialstrukturell relevante Problemstellungen zu erkennen, zu analysieren und gesellschaftspolitisch einzuordnen.

Im Vergleich zu den "goldenen Zeiten" der Vergangenheit scheint heute kaum ein Job mehr sicher zu sein. Erstaunlicher Weise fehlten bislang jedoch repräsentative Analysen, die diese Ansicht überprüft hätten. Eingebunden in eine umfassende theoretische Auseinandersetzung u.a. mit dem Begriff der Arbeitsmarktflexibilität nähren die im Buch vorgelegten überraschenden Ergebnisse Zweifel an der These einer in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten generell zunehmenden Beschäftigungsinstabilität. Schließlich führt dies dann auch zu einem alternativen Szenario zur "Zukunft der Arbeit" jenseits der aktuellen Mainstreamdebatten.

Using German panel data and relying on internal relocation, this paper investigates the anticipation and adaptation of subjective well-being (SWB) in the course of migration. We hypothesize that SWB correlates with the process of migration, and that such correlations are at least partly socially stratified. Our fixed-effects regressions show no evidence of any anticipation of SWB before the event of migration, but a highly significant and sustained positive adaptation effect. In general, internal migration seems to lead to a long-lasting increase in SWB. This is found to be the case for almost all analyzed socioeconomic and socio-demographic subgroups. The migration distance, the reasons for migration, and the individuals' socio-demographic characteristics do not appear to have any important effects on the overall observed pattern. Our results suggest that regional mobility is less a response to certain stressors, but is, rather, a response to an opportunity to improve job- or housing-related living conditions, and that these improved conditions are reflected in individuals' SWB. Thus, migration under these circumstances is triggered by opportunities rather than by constraints.

With the pilot study Living outside Germany, the longitudinal German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) ventures into completely uncharted methodological territory by attempting to locate the addresses of former participants in the German household panel study SOEP who have since immigrated abroad, and to survey these individuals with the help of a specially developed written questionnaire on the reasons for their international move. In the years 2002 to 2005, 228 immigrants were identified among the SOEP participants. After successfully locating their addresses, it was possible to send the questionnaire to 52 of these immigrants. On this basis 23 interviews were ultimately carried out. Limited selectivity problems were identified regarding gender, partnership status, subjective evaluation of health status, life satisfaction, and region of residence prior to immigration (former West/former East Germany). However, significant age and earning-specific selectivity effects were also noted.