ECON3715 ¨C Labour Economics

Course content

This course is equivalent with ECON4715 - Labour Economics

The course will present important theories and methods for analyzing labor markets and for understanding labor market research. The course emphasizes relationships between macro phenomena such as unemployment and agents¡¯ behavior in the labor market, focusing on informational problems arising in labor market interactions as well as on the role of unions and employers associations.

The course will also present the empirical tools used to disentangle causality from correlation in numerous labor market studies. These tools are then used, together with the major theories presented, to examine different topics of interest for policymakers. The following topics will be discussed: labor supply, labor demand, unions, collective bargaining, wage inequality, human capital, compensating differentials, Roy selection, incentive pay, discrimination, migration, unemployment and intergenerational mobility.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

You should know

• basic mechanisms of the labour market, in particular how unemployment and wage and productivity differences can arise as equilibrium phenomena
• the building blocks for studying the relationship between the micro and the macro sides of the economy
• key elements of empirical work that aim at evaluating and quantify the mechanisms of the models

Skills:

You should be able to

• use analytical models of behaviour and interactions in the labour market as tools to analyse the mechanisms that determine outcomes in the labour market, the performance of labour markets
• analyse policy questions related to labour markets

Competence:

You should

• be able to read and understand project reports and journal articles that make use of the concepts and methods that are introduced in the course
• be able to make use of the course content in your own academic work, for example in analyses that are part of the master¡¯s thesis

Admission to the course

Students at UiO must apply for courses in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

You can not attend this course if you have already passed specific ECON-courses at a higher level.

This course is not available for single course students.

Formal prerequisite knowledge

• ECON1100 ¨C Matematikk I, or equivalent.
• ECON2220 ¨C Mikro?konomi 2, or equivalent.
• ECON3150 ¨C Introductory Econometrics / ECON4150 ¨C Introductory Econometrics, or equivalent.

Overlapping courses

• 10 credits overlap with ECON4715 ¨C Labor Economics.
• 10 credits overlap with ECON510.
• 10 credits overlap with S?K510.
• 10 credits overlap with SO?510.

Teaching

Lectures and seminars.

Compulsory tuition activities:

• A compulsory term paper.

• A compulsory oral presentation.

The assignment deadline will be specified in Canvas. If you submit your answer to the assignment, but do not pass, you may get another attempt. The new attempt will have a short deadline.

When the compulsory tuition activities are approved, the result will be registered. The?approved compulsory term paper is valid for 9 semesters, starting with the semester in which it is passed.

See The Faculty of Social Sciences` rules regarding compulsory tuition activities.

Candidates who have passed the course before autumn 2016 and wish to re-take the exam need to get the compulsory tuition activities approved before they can re-take the exam.

Absence from compulsory tuition activities

If you are ill or have another valid reason for being absent from compulsory tuition activities, your absence may be approved or the compulsory activity may be postponed.

• Report absence from or the need for a postponed deadline on a compulsory tuition activity

Course responsible can at the beginning of the semester update the syllabus list by changing no more than three articles, though in a way that it will not change the overall scope or thematic content of the course.

The syllabus also includes any lecture notes that will be made available for the students in Canvas.

Examination

The examination will be a 3-hour written school exam.

You must have passed the compulsory activities in order to sit for the exam.

Previous exams

Exam papers with comments from examiner

Examination support material

Usage of a dictionary during the examination is allowed, subject to prior inspection by SV-info.?See guidelines for further details.

Language of examination

The examination text is given in English. You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Resit an examination

If you are sick or have another valid reason for not attending the regular exam, we offer a postponed exam later in the same semester.

There are restrictions on resitting this exam. See further information about resitting an exam.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.