AØKK08330U Seminar: Macro Labour Economics

Volume 2015/2016
Education

MSc of Economics
The seminar is primary for students at the MSc of Economics

Content

This course will primarily be based on search & matching models of the labour market. These models are designed to explain the existence of unemployment and of wage dispersion across similar workers. Several policy issues can be addressed using these models, cf. the list of subjects below.

The aim of this seminar is for the students to write and present a seminar paper that documents an in-depth theoretical and/or empirical research-based investigation of a specific topic within the intersection of macroeconomics and labour economics.

Learning Outcome

Potential subjects include (but are in no way restricted to):

  • What is the optimal design of the unemployment insurance system?

    • Should unemployment insurance be business cycle dependent?

  • How do unemployment insurance systems vary across countries? And why?

  • What are the labour market effects of introducing in-work-benefits (a la the Danish Beskæftigelsesfradrag)?

  • How can workfare (activation) be useful in achieving an improved trade-off between incentives and insurance?

  • Why are similar workers paid differently?

  • Is the search-matching model able to explain stylized business cycle facts?

  • Is the search-matching model a useful description of labour markets, or do there exist alternative models that perform better?

For those unfamiliar with search & matching models, a good starting point would be

Pissarides, Christopher (2000), Equilibrium Unemployment Theory, 2nd edition, MIT Press, 2000

Rogerson, Richard, Robert Shimer and Randall Wright (2005), Search-Theoretic Models of the Labor Market: A Survey, Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. XLIII, pp. 959–988.

B.Sc. in Economics
Having followed Labour Economics may be an advantage, but is not a prerequisite. It is, however, a necessity to have high-level analytical skills and economic intuition.
Introductory lecture the 31 August 2015, 13-15
During the semester writing project proposal, seminar paper and presentations e.g. 7-8 December 2015 (hole day).

More information about seminars at
https:/​/​intranet.ku.dk/​economics_ma/​study_programme/​seminars/​Pages/​default.aspx
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 1
  • Project work
  • 187
  • Seminar
  • 18
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Oral examination, 60 min under invigilation
A written seminar paper and a 40 minuts oral presentation for the others participans at the seminar and 15 minuts of discussion.
Exam registration requirements

Attendance on the seminar. The mandatory commitment paper and seminar paper have been handed in at deadline.

Aid
All aids allowed

All papers in the seminar are allowed.

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
up to 20 % censorship at the seminarpaper
Exam period

The students must submit a project proposal on October 1 2015 (or before). Afterwards, the students and the lecturer correspond on the proposal.

The final seminar paper must be uploaded on November 25.

 

 

Re-exam

As ordinary.

Criteria for exam assesment

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