Labor Economics

Catalog description

This class will study the various ways that workers and firms interact in labor markets. What factors determine how much labor individuals supply to the market? What determines labor demand by firms? How do firms design contracts to provide the right incentives to their workers? What determines wage inequality in the economy? What can insights from labor economics contribute to debates surrounding policies such as immigration reform, welfare reform, and income taxation? The class will expose students to the basic theoretical models used by economists to tackle these issues. Students will also survey evidence from empirical studies on these topics.