Descriptif

Overview: Labor economics analyzes the exchange between workers and firms—specifically
how labor services are supplied, demanded, and compensated. This course presents an
overview of foundational concepts as well as recent approaches in modern labor economics.
We begin with the determinants of labor supply and labor demand, and examine how their
interaction in competitive markets shapes wages and employment. We then study how educational
investment decisions influence workers’ labor market outcomes. The third part of
the course introduces modern approaches to imperfect competition in labor markets, with a
focus on monopsony power and wage-setting behavior. The final part examines recent trends
in gender inequality and provides an introduction to the economics of discrimination and its
measurement in labor market contexts. Throughout the course, there is an emphasis on the
evaluation of empirical evidence and an opportunity for hands-on analysis of real-world data
using computer programs.
Learning outcomes: The primary objective of the course is to offer students a broad
overview of key topics in modern labor economics.
1. Develop an understanding of the theories that explain labor market dynamics and how
they connect to recent empirical methods.
2. Develop a critical approach of the data and methods
3. Learn how to use primary sources of individual and aggregate data and extract key
statistics;
4. Learn to apply econometric/statistical methods to describe, summarize, and estimate
relationships between key labour market variables. This includes a critical understanding
of the limits to attributing causality between these variables.
5. Communicate effectively, both in oral and written work.
The course is designed to support these learning outcomes, with a blended focus on basic modeling,
"hands-on" experience working with data, and opportunities to develop communication
skills.