Insegnamento a.a. 2026-2027

1. The Labor Market Inside and Outside the Firm

• Why study personnel economics?
• The decision to work and to hire
• From individual choices to aggregate labor supply and demand
• Perfectly competitive labor markets
• Imperfect labor markets: inside and outside the firm
• Key definitions and measurement tools

2. Labor Market Institutions

•  Why so many institutions?
•  Institutions and competition
• What can we learn from reforms?

3. Core Institutions

• Minimum wages
• Collective bargaining inside and outside the firm
• Workplace discrimination and gender quotas
• Working hours and remote work
• Early retirement
• Work–family reconciliation policies
• Education and on-the-job training
• Employment protection legislation
• Unemployment benefits and active labor market policies
• Workplace safety regulations

• Describe the main developments in labour market institutions across OECD countries over the last decades.
• Explain the main economic mechanisms shaping labour supply, labour demand, and labour market outcomes.
• Interpret the main empirical evidence and key indicators used in labour economics.
• Discuss how labour market institutions and public policies influence employment, wages, inequality, and firms’ behaviour.
• Recognize empirical settings and evidence used to evaluate the effects of labour market institutions and public policies.

• Understand how labour market institutions and public policies shape employment opportunities, wages, inequality, and firms’ hiring decisions in real-world contexts.
• Use economic reasoning and evidence to evaluate labour market outcomes and public policies in different institutional and business environments.
• Interpret and critically discuss the effects of technological change, globalization, and economic shocks on workers, firms, and labour markets.
• Apply labour economics concepts to analyse managerial and policy issues related to employment, incentives, and productivity.
• Compare labour market institutions and policies across countries and assess their implications for workers, firms, and economic performance.
• Work effectively both individually and in groups, demonstrating critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Communicate economic arguments and data-driven insights clearly and coherently, both orally and in writing.

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Individual works / Assignments
• Collaborative Works / Assignments

The course combines lectures with discussions of empirical evidence, policy issues, and real-world labour market developments. Theoretical models are presented alongside empirical applications and cross-country comparisons in order to help students connect economic analysis with current labour market debates.

The course also encourages active student participation through class discussions and group activities aimed at developing critical thinking, communication, and teamwork skills.

Attending students will be allowed to take two written partial examinations (each accounting for 50% of the final grade). Eligibility for each exam requires a minimum attendance rate of 80%, calculated based on the number of hours taught in class until the date of the exam. Students failing to pass either of the two partial exams will have to take a comprehensive final exam.

To pass the course, students must obtain a grade of at least 18/30 in each written exam.

The written exams consist of a combination of multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Multiple-choice questions are designed to assess students’ understanding of key concepts, theoretical mechanisms, and empirical evidence discussed during the course, while open-ended questions evaluate students’ ability to apply economic reasoning and develop structured arguments.

In particular, the exams aim to assess students’:
(i) ability to describe and discuss the main developments in labour market institutions in OECD countries in light of the topics covered in class;
(ii) understanding of the main economic mechanisms underlying labour market outcomes and public policies; and
(iii) familiarity with the main findings of the empirical literature and the empirical strategies used to evaluate the effects of public policies.

The assessment also includes a group assignment aimed at developing students’ ability to work in teams, discuss economic issues critically, and communicate their analysis effectively.

Non-attending students will only be allowed to take the general exam.

The assessment consists of a comprehensive written final examination covering the entire course syllabus. Students are expected to prepare independently using the required readings and the study materials indicated by the instructor.

The written examination consists of a combination of multiple-choice and open-ended questions.  The examination places emphasis on the ability to study independently, integrate concepts across different parts of the syllabus, and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the course material without relying on classroom discussions and activities. Students are therefore expected to critically engage with the assigned readings, connect theoretical models with empirical evidence, and articulate coherent and rigorous arguments on labour market institutions and policies.

The course is based on  :

• T. BOERI, J. VAN OURS, The economics of imperfect labour markets, Princeton University Press, 3rd edition, 2021
• Class material and additional readings/listenings will be uploaded to the Bboard platform of the course.