Do high incomes reflect individual performance? The determinants of high incomes in Germany

摘要

In neoclassical economic theory the level of individual income is predominantly determined byindividual job performance. Thus high incomes reflect the high marginal productivity of labourof the affluent working population. While the scientific research of poverty has a long tradition,nearly nothing is known about the rich. This study tries to diminish this research gap byinvestigating the structure of high labour incomes in Germany. By revealing the determinants ofhigh incomes by descriptive and paneleconometric analyses mit Daten des Sozio-ökonomischenPanels, we want to answer the question if high incomes are especially the result of individualjob performance or rather the result of social selection through social background or sexualdiscrimination