AØKA08065U Labour Economics

Volume 2014/2015
Education
MSc in Economics
Content

The course covers the following topics:

  • Labor supply and demand
  • Education and human capital
  • Wage formation
  • Local labor markets
  • Job search, unemployment and job reallocation
  • Bargaining and minimum wages
  • Active labor market policies
  • Flexicurity and employment protection
Learning Outcome

The course in labor economics aims to enable students to read and understand current and previous research in labor economics, discuss policy proposals from the perspective labor economics and reflect critically on new theories and empirical evidence.

To meet the above aims, at the end of the course the students are expected to learn to describe the following concepts/theories as well as apply them in the analysis of concrete empirical phenomena and policy proposals:

  • The neoclassical theory of labor supply both in a static and dynamic setting
  • The neoclassical theory of labor demand
  • General and specific human capital
  • Different types of wage determination, including bargaining, compensating differentials and contract theory
  • Local labor markets
  • Search and matching models of the labor market
  • Labor market policies such as unemployment benefits, active labor market policies and employment protection

.

Syllabus
 

The main textbook for the course is:

Cahuc and Zylberberg: "Labor Economics", MIT Press 2004.

The texbook will be supplemented by a few journal articles as well as lecture slides and lecture notes.

Bachelor degree in Economics.
2 hours of lectures one to two times per week for 14 weeks.

Time and room:
Time and room for the lectures and exercise classes: Please press the link under "Se skema" (See schedule). 15F means Spring (Forår) 2015

The springsemester is available partly in English at this link:
https:/​/​skema.ku.dk/​KU1415/​reporting/​textspreadsheet?objectclass=module&idtype=id&identifier=43799&t=SWSCUST+module+textspreadsheet&days=1-5&weeks=27-52&periods=1-68&template=SWSCUST+module+textspreadsheet

The first lecture in the springsemester will be the 5.th of February 2015 at 10.00 o´clock (AM).
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 12
  • Lectures
  • 42
  • Preparation
  • 152
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written examination, 12 hours
The exam is a 12 hours take-home where all aids are alloved
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
100 % censorship
Exam period
For the Spring semester 2015: From 26 May to 28 June 2015 The take-home exam will be the 30 May 2015 from 10.00 to 22.00 More information is available at https://intranet.ku.dk/economics_ma/examination/Pages/default.aspx
Re-exam
Same as ordinary. But if only a few students have registered for the re-exam, the exam might change to an oral exams with a synopsis to be handed in. This means that the examination date also will change.
Criteria for exam assesment

The student must in a satisfactory way demonstrate that he/she has mastered the learning outcome of the course.