Labour Economics
Code: 102321 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2501572 Business Administration and Management | OT | 4 | 0 |
| 2501573 Economics | OT | 3 | 2 |
| 2501573 Economics | OT | 4 | 0 |
Contact
- Name:
- Xavier Ramos Morilla
- Email:
- Xavi.Ramos@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- spanish (spa)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- Yes
Teachers
- Xavier Ramos Morilla
External teachers
- Gabriel Facchini Palma
Prerequisites
The course shows the relationship between micro-founded theory, empirical work and econometric issues. Thus, basic knowledge of microeconomic and macroeconomic principles and simple statistical/econometric methods such as multivariate regression is required.
Objectives and Contextualisation
By the end of the course students will
- have a solid theoretical background about the basic labour economics’ issues;
- have a knowledge of the most relevant characteristics of the spanish labour market, including its structural and institutional features.
- have a basic knowledge of modern microeconometric tools and techniques employed in empirical work to analyse causal issues in labour economics, including labour market policy issues.
Competences
- Business Administration and Management
- Capacity for adapting to changing environments.
- Capacity for independent learning in the future, gaining more profound knowledge of previous areas or learning new topics.
- Capacity for oral and written communication in Catalan, Spanish and English, which enables synthesis and oral and written presentation of the work carried out.
- Demonstrate initiative and work individually when the situation requires it.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the structure of institutions and the state, their evolution and the consequences of possible changes, to be able to make a positive contribution to the debate about the role they play in current society.
- Identify the economic agents that make up an economy, understanding how they have been interrelated to date, how they are currently interrelated and forecast futures according to new circumstances and their influence on a specific company.
- Know how to handle the analytical framework and empirical knowledge that is offered by the economy on international relations and the most important economic areas.
- Organise the work in terms of good time management, organisation and planning.
- Select and generate the information necessary for each problem, analyse it and take decisions based on that information.
- Show motivation for carrying out quality work and sensitivity to the consequences for the environment and society.
- Value ethical commitment in professional practice.
- Work well in a team, being able to argue proposals and validate or reject the arguments of others in a reasoned manner.
- Economics
- Analyse the operation of the labour market and the elements that are specific to it.
- Capacity for independent learning in the future, gaining more profound knowledge of previous areas or learning new topics.
- Lead multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, implementing new projects and coordinating, negotiating and managing conflicts.
- Organise the work in terms of good time management, organisation and planning.
- Select and generate the information necessary for each problem, analyse it and take decisions based on that information.
- Take decisions in situations of uncertainty, demonstrating an entrepreneurial and innovative attitude.
- Work well in a team, being able to argue proposals and validate or reject the arguments of others in a reasoned manner.
Learning Outcomes
- A capacity of oral and written communication in Catalan, Spanish and English, which allows them to summarise and present the work conducted both orally and in writing.
- Analyse the mechanisms of the formation of salaries.
- Analyse the role of international institutions in the economy.
- Assess ethical commitment in professional activity.
- Assess the functioning and current situation of the Spanish economy.
- Assess work-related policies.
- Capacity to adapt to changing environments.
- Capacity to continue future learning independently, acquiring further knowledge and exploring new areas of knowledge.
- Demonstrate initiative and work independently when required.
- Demonstrate motivation regarding the quality of the work performed and sensitivity regarding the consequences on the environment and society.
- Describe the main economic agents making up the Spanish and Catalan economy.
- Examine the influence and the role of Spanish public institutions in the economy.
- Identify the role of the public sector in the Spanish economy.
- Interpret the economic globalisation process and its consequences for the Spanish economy.
- Interpret the motivations, instruments and effects of public intervention on this market.
- Lead multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, implement new projects, coordinate, negotiate and manage conflicts.
- List the main characteristics of the labour market in Spain.
- Make decisions in situations of uncertainty and show an enterprising and innovative spirit.
- Organise work, in terms of good time management and organisation and planning.
- Perform an economic analysis of integration processes, in general, and of the European integration process, in particular.
- Relate the labour market and economic activity.
- Select and generate the information needed for each problem, analyse it and make decisions based on this information.
- Understand in economic terms, the problem of unemployment and its causes.
- Work as part of a team and be able to argue own proposals and validate or refuse the arguments of others in a reasonable manner.
Content
Topic 1. Introduction: Economics and the Labour Market
Work and Economic Activity. Idiosyncrasies of Labour Markets and Labour Economics. Course overview.
PART I. LABOUR SUPPLY
Topic 2. Individual labour supply
The neoclassical model. The work-leisure decision. Activity, inactivity and reservation wage. Effects of taxes and benefits on labour supply.
Topic 3. Participation Rates and Family
Participation rates by gender and age. Family and time allocation. Life-cycle issues of labour supply. Working hours.
Topic 4. Human Capital and Labour
Human capital theory. Returns to education. On-the-Job training. Alternative theories to Human Capital.
Topic 5 Migrations and Labour Mobility
Types of labour mobility and migrations. Determinants of migration. Effects of migration on labour supply.
PART II LABOR DEMAND
Topic 6. The Demand for Labour: Wage Determination and the Allocation of Labour.
Short- and long-run demand for labour. Competitive and non-competitive markets. The monopsony. Determinants of labour demand. Effect of minimum wages on labour market outcomes. Unit labour costs.
PART III WAGE DETERMINATION AND WAGE STRUCTURE
Topic 7 Pay schemes and the Wage Structure
Wage differentials. Fringe benefits. Efficiency wages. Internal labour markets.
Topic 8 Wage Distribution and Labour Market Discrimination
Economic analysis of labour market discrimination. Occupational segregation. Segmentation and labour market duality. Temporary employment.
Topic 9 Trade Unions and Collective Bargaining
Economic analysis of trade unions. Collective bargaining. The economic impact of unions.
Topic 10 Government and the Labour Market
Labour market effects of public intervention. Minimum Wages. Effects of unemployment benefits. Legislation and regulation.
PART IV MACROECONOMIC ANALYSIS
Topic 11 Unemployment and Inflation
Labour market unbalances. Types of unemployment. Economic theories of unemployment. Policies to reduce unemployment.
Methodology
Teaching is scheduled to be face-to-face in the classroom.
The course combnes lectures and practical sessions. Besides, the students will have to write individual and collective essays, some of which will be presented and discusssed in class.
The proposed teaching methodology may undergo some modifications according to the restrictions imposed by the health authorities on on-campus courses.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Lectures | 33 | 1.32 | 3, 2, 20, 6, 8, 11, 23, 17, 12, 13, 14, 15, 21, 4 |
| Tutorials | 12 | 0.48 | 3, 2, 20, 5, 6, 1, 8, 9, 23, 17, 12, 13, 14, 15, 10, 19, 21, 22, 24, 4 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutorial | 8 | 0.32 | 2, 6, 1, 8, 23, 17, 12, 10, 19, 21, 22, 4 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Autonomous study | 50 | 2 | 3, 2, 20, 5, 6, 7, 1, 8, 9, 11, 23, 17, 12, 13, 14, 10, 19, 18, 21, 22, 4 |
| Exercices, essays and collective works | 41 | 1.64 | 3, 2, 20, 5, 7, 1, 8, 9, 11, 23, 17, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 10, 19, 18, 21, 22, 24, 4 |
Assessment
Assessment combines individual and collective essays, as well as exams.
Exams and essays are integrated in a process of continuous assesment
Students that has not realized any evaluation activity in the process of continouos evaluation will be considered not evalauable
Calendar of evaluation activities
The dates of the evaluation activities ( midterm exams, exercises in the classroom, assignments…) will be announced well in advance during the semester
The date of the final exam is scheduled in the assessment calendar of the Faculty
“The dates of evaluation activities cannot be modified, unless there is an exceptional and duly justified reason why an evaluation activity cannot be carried out. In this case, the degree coordinator will contact both the teaching staff and the affected student, and a new date will be scheduled within the same academic period to make for the missed evaluation activity. Section 1 of Article 115. Calendar of evaluation activities (Academic Regulations UAB).
Students of the Faculty of Economics and Business who in accordance with the previous paragraph need to change an evaluation activity date must process the request by filling out the Application for exam’s reschedule htps://eformularis.uab.cat/group/deganat_feie/reprogramació-proves
Grade revision process
After all grading activities have ended , students will be informed of the day and way in which the course grade will be published. Students will be also informed of the procedure, place, day and time of grade revision following University regulations.
Retake process
“To be eligible to participate in the retake process, it is required for students to have been previously been evaluated for at least two thirds of the total evaluation activities of the subject” Section 3 of Article 112 ter. The recovery (UAB Academic Regulations). Additionally, it is required that the student to have achieved an average grade on the subject between 3,5 and 4,9
The date of the retake exam will be posted in the calendar of evaluation activities of the Faculty. Students who take this exam and pass, will be get a grade a 5 for the subject. If the student does not pass the retake, the grade will remain unchanged, student will fail the course.
Irregularities in evaluation activities
In spite of other disciplinary measures deemed appropriate, and in accordance with current accademic regulations “in the case that the student makes and irregularity that could lead to a significative variation in the grade of an evaluation activity, it will be graded with a 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that can be instructed. In the case that various irregularities occur in the evaluation of the same subject, the final grade of this subject will be 0 Section 10 of Article 116 ter. Evaluation Results (UAB Academic Regulations)
The proposed evaluation activities may undergo some changes according to the restrictions imposed by the health authorities on on-campus courses.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Exam | 50% | 3 | 0.12 | 3, 2, 20, 5, 6, 1, 8, 9, 11, 23, 17, 12, 13, 14, 15, 10, 19, 18, 21, 22, 4 |
| Presentations in class | 25% | 3 | 0.12 | 3, 2, 20, 5, 6, 7, 1, 8, 11, 23, 17, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 10, 19, 18, 21, 22, 24, 4 |
| Submission of course work | 25% | 0 | 0 | 3, 2, 20, 5, 6, 7, 1, 8, 9, 11, 23, 17, 12, 13, 14, 15, 10, 21, 22, 4 |
Bibliography
Basic textbooks
Borjas, George (2020), Labor Economics (8th edition), McGraw-Hill.
McConnell, Campbell R., Stanley L. Brue and David A. Macpherson (2017), Contemporary Labor Economics (11th edition), McGraw-Hill International Edition.
Complementary textbooks:
Cahuc, Pierre and Andre Zylberberg (2004), Labor Economics, MIT Press.
Complementary readings: Topic specific readings will be found in the Campus Virtual.