Description:

This course introduces students to theoretical and empirical labor economics. Lectures are complemented by empirical exercises using R and problem sets. Topics include technological change, immigration, personnel economics, job loss, and gender gaps in the labor market. Students will be introduced to state-of-the-art empirical methods and causal identification strategies, including difference-in-differences, instrumental variables, and regression discontinuity designs. The course aims to provide students with a solid foundation in the core concepts of labor economics.

Course Outline

1. Labor Supply and Labor Demand

2. Job Loss and Job Search

3. Technological Change

4. Migration Economics

5. Personnel Economics

6. Gender Economics

Materials

Lecture slides and research papers will be made available via Moodle.

Learning Targets:

Students will gain an overview of theoretical and empirical labor economics. They will develop an understanding of the theoretical foundations of the field, as well as state-of-the-art empirical methods, and will be able to apply these tools in problem sets focused on policy-relevant questions. By the end of the course, students will be able to explain how labor markets function and to understand key labor market frictions. In addition, they will acquire the technical skills necessary to conduct advanced empirical economic analysis.

Literature:

Reading List

Background readings for the course include:

Angrist, J. D., & Pischke, J.-S. (2009). Mostly harmless econometrics: An empiricist’s companion. Princeton University Press.

Borjas, G. J. (2020). Labor economics (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Borjas, G. J. (2014). Immigration economics. Harvard University Press.

Cahuc, P., Carcillo, S., & Zylberberg, A. (2014). Labor economics (2nd ed.). MIT Press.

Kuhn, P. (2016). Personnel economics. Oxford University Press.

Goldin, C. (2021). Career and family: Women’s century-long journey toward equity. Princeton University Press.

Methods of Assessment:

The final grade will be based on a closed book exam of 60 minutes.

Material:

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