BPE_EKPR Labor Economics

Faculty of Economics and Administration
Spring 2017
Extent and Intensity
2/1/0. 10 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Martin Guzi, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Martin Slanicay, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Martin Guzi, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Martin Slanicay, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Martin Slanicay, Ph.D.
Department of Economics – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Contact Person: Mgr. Jarmila Šveňhová
Supplier department: Department of Economics – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Timetable
Mon 18:00–19:35 P101
  • Timetable of Seminar Groups:
BPE_EKPR/03: each odd Tuesday 14:35–16:15 P106, M. Slanicay
BPE_EKPR/04: each even Tuesday 14:35–16:15 P106, M. Guzi
BPE_EKPR/05: each odd Tuesday 12:50–14:30 P106, M. Slanicay
BPE_EKPR/06: each even Tuesday 12:50–14:30 P106, M. Guzi
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course is designed to provide an introduction to the theory and practice of contemporary labor economics. The course develops an understanding of the determinants of wage rates and employment levels in labor markets. The tools of of neoclassical economics will be used to examine such contemporary policy issues as: minimum wage laws, labor market discrimination, employment training programs, and the economic impact of unions. The first part of the course describes labor supply decisions made by rational households, labor demand decisions made by profit-maximizing firms and compensating wage differentials under the assumption of competitive markets. The second part of course is empirical and includes the analysis of wage differentials and human capital investments. Attention is given to the wage incentive schemes, discrimination, wage bargaining and unemployment.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to Labor Economics
  • 2. Labor Supply
  • 3. Labor Demand
  • 4. Labor Market Equilibrium
  • 5. Compensating Wage Differentials
  • 6. Human Capital
  • 7. Wage Structure
  • 8. Labor Mobility
  • 9. Labor Market Discrimination
  • 10. Labor Unions
  • 11. Incentive Pay
  • 12. Unemployment
Literature
    required literature
  • BORJAS, George. Labor Economics. 5th ed. McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2009. ISBN 978-0070172708. info
    recommended literature
  • EHRENBERG, Ronald G. and Robert Stewart SMITH. Modern labor economics : theory and public policy. 10th ed. Boston: Pearson/Addison Wesley, 2009, xxi, 650. ISBN 9780321538963. info
  • BOERI, Tito and Jan VAN OURS. The Economics of Imperfect Labor Markets. Second Edition. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013, 434 pp. ISBN 978-0-691-15893-8. info
  • MCCONNELL, Campbell R., Stanley L. BRUE and David A. MACPHERSON. Contemporary labor economics. 8th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2009, 625 s. ISBN 9780073511320. info
Teaching methods
The course is taught through a two-hour lecture every week and a two-hour seminar every second week. Lectures introduce and highlight the central economic arguments behind the theoretical models. Seminars are aimed at practicing solving problems related to the topics covered in the lectures. To obtain a good result in the final exam students are advised to attend all lectures and to complete the problem sets each week before showing up in the seminar.

At the end of the course students should be able to:
- explain motivations and behaviour of individual agents in the labor market,
- understand the impact of government policy and labor market regulations,
- describe economic consequences of labour unions.
At the end of the course, students should be able to discuss practical problems including factors behind the wage differentials, explain labor market mobility, and decisions about human capital investments.
Assessment methods
The final mark is composed of:
• Two midterm exams – 10 points each
• Activity in seminar groups – maximum 20 points
• Final Exam – 30 points
Exact exam dates will be announced in due course. Both midterm and final exams will be closed book, closed notes exams. Exams will include the material presented in lectures and seminars. The policy of zero tolerance to academic dishonesty will be strictly applied.
Evaluation scale :
A: 70-63 pts
B: 62-56 pts
C: 55-51 pts
D: 50-46 pts
E: 45-42 pts
F: less than 42 pts
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
General note: Přednášky jsou dostupné online a ze záznamu.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2017, recent)
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