This course will give you an understanding of some of the issues in contemporary labour economics, with an emphasis on the empirical side of the discipline.  This course is not intended to be an exhaustive survey of all of the relevant issues in labour economics. The topics chosen are selected in order to illustrate the varieties of questions labour economists ask themselves, and how they proceed to solve them. Topics covered include: introduction to empirical labour economics; human capital and returns to education; school quality;  the employment effect of minimum wages; labour supply; immigration; crime; discrimination.

The aim of this course is to familiarize students with the theory and empirical methods of classic and active research topics in labour economics.

Attendance is compulsory and active participation (=discussion, presentations, questions, remarks) in class is expected. To some extent, this will be checked through the use of the WU-Learning Apps.

The course is divided in two parts: The first part covers fundamental aspects of the labor market. We start with basic models of labor supply and demand.  We then study different types of market failures and frictions. The second part of the course is structured around a number of key empirical literature. We first review research on inequality from an individual, firm and intergenerational perspective. We then cover causal evidence on how labor markets adjust to shocks.

The final grade is composed of:

• Assignment I 10%
• Presentation 25%
• Discussion and participation during the lectures 5%
• Exam 60%

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