Labour Economics and Policy

Part 1. Intro and Labor Supply
1. Introduction to Labor Economics CCZ - Intro
2. Labor Supply

Part 2. Labor Demand and Equilibrium
3. Labor Demand
4. Equilibrium in the Labor Market

Part 3. Education
5. Education and Peer Effects
6. Peer Effects in the Labor Market

Part 4. Skills, Trade, and Labor
7. Skill-biased Technological Change
8. Trade and Labor

Part 5. Discrimination and Migration
9. Discrimination
10. Migration

Part 6. Minimum Wage
11. Minimum Wage
12. Recap

Part 7. New Research in Labor Economics
13. Applied Research Frontier’s Papers Presentation and Discussion
14. Applied Research Frontier’s Papers Presentation and Discussion

Why do some people work and some not? How do individuals sort into jobs? Why do people get hired and fired? How do jobs change in time? Why do some workers earn more than others? These are some of the questions labor economics research try to answer to. This course introduces students to the analysis of labor markets linking basic theoretical insights with empirical patterns. The course covers the core labor economics models and analyzes empirical evidence on the imperfections and the evolution of labor markets. Finally, it surveys recent papers in the field. Students will build an understanding of labor market issues, master the tools to analyze the labor markets and learn how to assess an empirical paper on the topic.

In presence

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- Weekly reading and class participation (30%)
- Presentation (20%)
- Written Exam (50%)

Weekly reading and class participation
Each week, excluded the first and the last one, we will discuss a paper before starting the lecture. You will be asked to read one assigned paper and prepare a 1-page document with your comments. This serves three purposes: (i) encourage you to read the papers before each class (ii) learn how to be critical on papers (iii) develop original ideas for your own research.

Presentation
During the last day of the course, each student will present a paper chosen from a list of recent papers in labor economics. Students can also suggest a paper outside the list but need to ask the teacher for approval first.

Exam
The exam will cover the entire course.