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Prof. Simon Jäger

Position
Senior Fellow
E-Mail
info@zentrum-neue-sozialpolitik.org

Prof. Simon Jäger is a Senior Fellow at the ZSP.

As Associate Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), he focuses on labor markets and investigates the causes and consequences of inequality. He researches topics such as competition in the labor market, the role of labor market institutions, unions, and co-determination, as well as the role of psychological factors in the labor market. Jäger received his doctorate from Harvard University and was awarded the David Wells Prize for the best dissertation in economics. Prior to his professorship at Princeton, he taught at MIT and was awarded the Sloan Research Fellowship and the Gustav Stolper Prize.

Question
01

Which issues at the intersection of labor market and social policy do you currently consider particularly important?

In my opinion, one major question that arises is how to create the conditions that will enable as many people as possible to participate in the creation of prosperity through their own work in a rapidly changing world. With regard to Germany, I think it will be important to enable change while at the same time setting up the social safety net in such a way that the various transformations will be successful.

Question
02

What role do co-determination, freedom, and personal responsibility play in your work?

These three concepts play a crucial role in understanding how a successful society can function. Without the assumption of responsibility, freedom remains an empty concept.
Co-determination, in turn, can be a crucial instrument through which employees can take personal responsibility for their workplace and thus shape their own freedom. It is an important instrument in balancing the relationship between capital and labor and can play an enormously important role in view of the technological changes that lie ahead.

Question
03

What is the biggest obstacle preventing individuals from realizing their potential today?

In addition to systemic factors, I believe that status quo bias, i.e., the cognitive distortion that causes us to prefer the status quo over change, is a huge obstacle that prevents people from realizing their potential. “Only those who are ready to set out and travel can escape the paralysis of habit,” said Hermann Hesse.
I believe that the status quo bias is a huge obstacle that prevents people from realizing their potential.

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