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    16 SP 5390

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    This document outlines the course details for ECON 5390 Topics in Labor Economics at HKUST for the Spring 2016 semester. The key points are: 1. The course will use theoretical and empirical tools from microeconomics and econometrics to analyze labor markets and the effects of policies on wages and unemployment. 2. Assessment will include homework assignments, an individual research essay, an essay presentation, and a final exam. 3. Topics that will be covered include the demand and supply of labor, equilibrium in the labor market, compensating wage differentials, human capital, discrimination, and wage distribution.

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    16 SP 5390

    Uploaded by

    OdnooMgmr
    49 views3 pages
    This document outlines the course details for ECON 5390 Topics in Labor Economics at HKUST for the Spring 2016 semester. The key points are: 1. The course will use theoretical and empirical tools from microeconomics and econometrics to analyze labor markets and the effects of policies on wages and unemployment. 2. Assessment will include homework assignments, an individual research essay, an essay presentation, and a final exam. 3. Topics that will be covered include the demand and supply of labor, equilibrium in the labor market, compensating wage differentials, human capital, discrimination, and wage distribution.

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    This document outlines the course details for ECON 5390 Topics in Labor Economics at HKUST for the Spring 2016 semester. The key points are: 1. The course will use theoretical and empirical tools from microeconomics and econometrics to analyze labor markets and the effects of policies on wages and unemployment. 2. Assessment will include homework assignments, an individual research essay, an essay presentation, and a final exam. 3. Topics that will be covered include the demand and supply of labor, equilibrium in the labor market, compensating wage differentials, human capital, discrimination, and wage distribution.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    49 views3 pages

    16 SP 5390

    Uploaded by

    OdnooMgmr
    This document outlines the course details for ECON 5390 Topics in Labor Economics at HKUST for the Spring 2016 semester. The key points are: 1. The course will use theoretical and empirical tools from microeconomics and econometrics to analyze labor markets and the effects of policies on wages and unemployment. 2. Assessment will include homework assignments, an individual research essay, an essay presentation, and a final exam. 3. Topics that will be covered include the demand and supply of labor, equilibrium in the labor market, compensating wage differentials, human capital, discrimination, and wage distribution.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 3

    Department of Economics, HKUST

    ECON 5390
    TOPICS IN LABOR ECONOMICS
    Semester: Spring 2016 Prof. S. F. Leung
    Class time: Monday 2:00pm – 4:50pm E-mail: [email protected]
    Class period: February 1, 2016 – May 9, 2016 Office: LSK 6029
    Lecture room: LSK 1032 Tel: 2358-7618
    Office hours: open-door policy

    TEXTBOOKS
    Required:

    Kenneth McLaughlin (2014): Labor Economics: Principles in Practice. Oxford.

    References:

    Ronald G. Ehrenberg and Robert S. Smith (2015): Modern labor economics: theory and public
    policy. (12th edition) Pearson.

    George Borjas (2013): Labor Economics. (6th edition) McGraw-Hill.

    Pierre Cahuc and André Zylberberg (2004): Labor Economics. MIT.

    OBJECTIVE
    This course presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of labor markets, utilizing
    primarily the tools developed in microeconomics and econometrics. We will investigate how
    wages are determined in various labor markets and study the effects of private and public
    policies on wages and unemployment. Issues about human capital and labor market
    discrimination will be studied. We will also examine how employers can design compensation
    packages, incentive contracts, and performance evaluations for their employees.

    INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES


    It is intended that, after completing this course, students will be able to:

    1. Identify economic critical thinking


    2. Utilize labor economics to explain pertinent economic and social phenomena
    3. Carry out independently applied research in economic and social problems of the labor
    market
    4. Apply economic theory to practical human resources situations and make sound
    economic decisions
    5. Recognize cultural diversity on labor issues
    6. Formulate informed ethical thinking based on rigorous economic and social analyses
    7. Communicate effectively
    8. Be a lifelong user of economic analysis
    1
    TEACHING APPROACH
    This course is primarily delivered through lectures and class discussions.

    CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE
    Students are expected to attend class regularly and on time, and to participate actively
    in class discussions. Other common-sense classroom etiquette, such as turning off or silencing
    mobile phones during class time, is expected.

    HOMEWORK
    There will be three homework assignments. You are allowed, and indeed encouraged, to
    discuss the homework with your classmates, but you must write the answers by yourself. All
    parties involved in plagiarism will severely be punished. Late homework will not be accepted.

    ESSAY
    To experience the joy (as well as pain) of scientific inquiry and to train your writing skills,
    you are required to submit a research essay. You will be required to provide a preliminary
    presentation of your essay at the end of the semester.

    Requirements and pointers:

    1. The theme of the essay is any topic in labor economics.


    2. Choose the topic you enjoy most. Do it with passion and fun!
    3. This is an individual essay, i.e., not a group project.
    4. The length of the essay is preferably no more than 10 pages of double-spacing text (e.g.,
    Times New Roman 12 size fonts). Additional supporting materials like references,
    tables, data, and diagrams can be appended to the text.
    5. A good essay should have two key elements: a good topic and a good analysis. You
    should have at least one of them in your essay. A good topic is especially important. As
    emphasized by Levitt and Dubner (2005, p.xi), "Economics is a science with excellent
    tools for gaining answers but a serious shortage of interesting questions." Therefore, if
    you can come up with an interesting topic or interesting questions, then you will secure
    a good score for your essay. On the other hand, if your topic is rather standard, then the
    score will depend very much on your analysis.
    6. More emphasis will be put on original ideas and insights.
    7. An updated data analysis of a published article is acceptable.
    8. A literature review with a perceptive critique is acceptable.
    9. You are not required to provide a definitive answer to all the questions raised in your
    essay. It is perfectly acceptable that some puzzles are not yet satisfactorily solved.
    10. Do not plagiarize. The punishment is severe. You must write the essay by yourself and
    give credit to where it is due.
    11. Econometric analysis is welcome. Nevertheless, it is not necessary to write a
    quantitative essay because collecting data and analyzing them are no easy tasks.
    Sometimes the data may not even exist.
    12. Ideas and insights are important especially when good data are not available.

    2
    13. The structure of the essay should contain the following sections: I. Introduction
    (introduce your topic), II. Literature Review (review relevant studies on your topic),
    III. Analysis (theory, model, explanation, implication, prediction, empirical evidence,
    strengths and weaknesses of your analysis), IV. Conclusion, and V. References.
    14. Check your grammar and spelling.
    15. You can change your essay topic after the presentation. However, the new topic must
    be different from the ones presented by your classmates. If your new topic is identical
    or similar to your classmate's topic, then your score will be penalized. Originality is
    highly valued.
    16. For your literature review, the following are some suggested search engines and
    databases (some are effective only on on-campus computers):
    (a) Google (b) Google Scholar (c) JSTOR (d) ScienceDirect (e) SpringerLink (f)
    HKALL

    GRADING
    There will be a final exam. No makeup exams will be given. The weights determining
    the course grade are as follows.

    Class participation 3%
    Three homework assignments 15%
    Essay 20%
    Essay preliminary presentation 2%
    Final exam 60%

    COURSE OUTLINE

     Overview of the Labor Market (Chapter 1)


     The Demand for Labor (Chapter 4)
     The Supply of Labor (Chapter 3)
     Labor Market Equilibrium (Chapter 2)
     Compensating Wage Differentials (Chapter 5)
     Human Capital (Chapters 6 and 7)
     Labor Market Discrimination (Chapter 8)
     Human Resources and Personnel Economics (Chapter 11)
     Wage Distribution (Chapter 10)

    TEACHING ASSISTANT
    Teaching assistant: Mr. Bo WANG
    Office: LSK 5067
    E-mail: [email protected]

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