Insegnamento a.a. 2024-2025

20294 - LABOUR ECONOMICS

Department of Economics

Course taught in English

Student consultation hours
Class timetable
Exam timetable
Go to class group/s: 31
CLMG (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - M (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - IM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  12 credits SECS-P/01) - MM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - AFC (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - CLELI (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - ACME (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - DES-ESS (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - EMIT (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - GIO (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - DSBA (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - PPA (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - FIN (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - AI (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01)
Course Director:
TITO MICHELE BOERI

Classes: 31 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: TITO MICHELE BOERI


Suggested background knowledge

The compulsory courses of the first semester of the MSc (advanced maths and advanced statistics) are sufficient to follow the course, provided that students have already taken some introduction courses in macro and micro. Following the econometrics course of the MSc is a good complement to Labour Economics 20294.

Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

The course objective is to understand how labour markets work, and how they are affected by institutions, by trade policies and by technology. Both empirical evidence and theory are covered. The course provides the basic analytical and empirical tools enabling to write an MA-level dissertation in Labour Economics.

CONTENT SUMMARY

Throughout the course, we reflect and provide answers to the following questions:

  • What can explain the presence of unemployment in equilibrium?
  • How do the unemployed search for jobs?
  • What is the effect of unemployment insurance on job search and on the unemployment rate?
  • How to design unemployment insurance rules and employment protection legislation?
  • Is there ethnic or gender discrimination in the labor market? Which anti-discrimination policies do government adopt? Which effectiveness? 
  • What determines the level of education in our economies? Which policies lead young people to invest in education?
  • What are the effects of computerization on labor? How does Internet affect the borders between dependent employment and self-employment?
  • What are the effects of international migration on employment/unemployment and on wages? 

Each question is considered in some theoretical framework. Empirical evidence everages on difference-in-difference methods, and randomized controlled trials.


Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Understand different models of the labor market.
  • Evaluate different labor market policies.
  • Understand the role and extent of discrimination in labor markets.
  • Understand the effect of technological progress or globalisation on labor markets and on income inequality.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Critically assess various models of the labor market.
  • Critically assess the methods used in the empirical evaluation of labor market policies.

Teaching methods

  • Face-to-face lectures
  • Group assignments

DETAILS

Group assignments: attending students pick one research article from the list we provide and that complements the lectures. They then present it in front of the class in 30 minutes, including discussion.


Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
     x
  • Group assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
 x    

ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Attending students take the final exam and present a research article in pairs to the class.

Non attending students take only the final exam.

 

Course evaluation:

  • Class presentation of an academic paper in groups of 2. Will take place in last 4 classes. 30min presentation (incl questions). 20% of the final grade.
  • Written exam, covering the material seen in class, both theory and empirics. 80% of the final grade.

Teaching materials


ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Recommended readings:

Boeri and vanOurs, The Economics of Imperfect Labor Markets, Princeton University Press, Third edition, 2021

Cahuc, Carcillo and Zylberberg, Labor Economics, MIT Press;

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