Course 2016-2017 a.y.

Go to class group/s: 31

CLEAM (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/02) - CLEF (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/02) - BESS-CLES (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/02) - WBB (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/02) - BIEF (6 credits - I sem. - OBCURS  |  SECS-P/02) - BIEM (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/02)

Course Director:
THOMAS EMILE ROBERT LE BARBANCHON

Course Objectives

This course is an introduction to labour economics. The course objective is to understand how labour markets work and how they are affected by institutions and labour market policies. Both empirical evidence and standard theory are covered.  The course highlights the effects on efficiency and the redistributive properties of institutions operating in imperfect labour markets, subject to market failures. This provides three reasons for the existence of institutions:
i) remedying market failures;
ii) achieving some redistributive goals;
iii) remedying potential negative side effects of other institutions.

Course Content Summary

The course consists of 10 key lectures:

• Labour supply 
• Labour demand 
• Equilibrium in the labor market 
• Human capital 
• Discrimination 
• Minimum wages 
• Employment protection legislation 
• Unemployment insurance 
• Active Labor Market Policies 
• Incentive pay  

 Each lecture covers stylized facts, theories, empirical evidence and policy applications.

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

The exam is in written form, notably a one-hour written exam with 2-3 questions, carrying each the same weight on the final grade. There is a partial exam covering the  first half of the course and a final exam covering the remaining half. Those not passing the partial exam will have to take a general exam covering both parts (with 4 to 6 questions and lasting two hours).

Textbooks

• G.BORJAS, Labour economics, McGraw-Hill, international edition, 6th edition.
• T. BOERI, J. VAN OURS, The economics of imperfect labour markets, Priceton University Press, 2nd edition.
• PDF presentation are provided.

Exam textbooks & Online Articles (check availability at the Library)

Prerequisites

The technical level required by the course is modest. Attending students should have taken an introductory course in microeconomics, a semester of calculus and an introductory course in statistics. In any event a numeric and geometric treatment of many key results is offered to ease the understanding of how institutions operate. In such simpler treatment, all the main arguments are presented and the main results outlined, even though they lack the rigor and the generality that the use of algebra allows.

Last change 24/05/2016 14:31