Course Code & Number
ECON 412
Course Title
Labor Economics
Credit Hours/ ECTS Credits
(3+0+0) 3 TEDU Credits, 6 ECTS Credits
Mode of Delivery:
Face-to-face
Language of Instruction:
English
Pre-requisite / Co-requisite::
Pre-requisites: NONE
Co-requisites: NONE
Catalog Description
Neoclassical theories of labor supply, labor demand, and labor market equilibrium. Compensating wage differentials. Human capital investment, education, and labor market outcomes. Wage inequality and income distribution. Skill-biased technical change. Job search, matching, and labor market frictions. Equilibrium unemployment. Labor market policies and labor market institutions. Collective bargaining and labor unions. Labor market discrimination. Social networks in labor markets.
Course Objectives
This course aims to present a rigorous economic analysis of different aspects of the labour markets and of the related economic policies. This course presents models of how firms make decisions about their need for workers, how workers make labor supply decisions, and how wages and other benefits are determined. This course aims to investigate important labor policy issues using the tools of economics; construct and defend arguments on important issues related to labor economics; assess, and criticize existing empirical work in labor economics.
Software Usage
Students will use Stata and MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint) to work on their weekly assignments about 2 hours a week.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon succesful completion of this course, a student will be able to
1. Have the ability to apply basic micro-economic tools to Explain the functioning of the labour market.
2. Utilize models that describe the labor market and policy effects.
3. Have the ability to apply micro-economic tools to analyze practical labor market policy and business problems.
4. An awareness of policy debates in labor economics.
5. Demonstrate the knowledge of the important features of the labor markets.
6. Explain the functioning of labor markets and labor market policies.
7. Utilize empirical microeconomic research on issues related to labor.
8. Explain the main changes that have taken place in labor markets.
Learning Activities and Teaching Methods:
Telling/Explaining
Discussion/Debate
Questioning
Reading
Collaborating
Case Study/Scenarion Analysis
Guest Speakers
Web Searching
Assessment Methods and Criteria:
Test / Exam
Quiz
Presentation (Oral/Poster)
Assessment Methods and Criteria Others:
Recommended Reading
1. Borjas. G., Labor Economics. 5th Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2009.
Required Reading
1. Ehrenberg. G. and R.S. Smith, Modern Labor Economics: Theory and Public Policy. 11th Edition, Pearson Education, Boston, 2011.
Learning Activities and Teaching Methods Others:
Course & Program Learning Outcome Matching:
