Course Outline and Reading List

 

Readings marked with an asterisk (*) are required reading.  Readings marked with a number sign (#) are optional.

 

1. Introduction                                                Week 1:     January 7,9

 

       * GB, chapter 1 (all, incl. appendix)  

 

2. Labor Supply                                               Week 2/3/4: January 14,16,21,23, 28, 30

 

       * GB, chapter 2 (all)

       * GB, chapter 3 (excluding 3.1, 3.4, 3.5)

* B. Meyer,  “Labor Supply at the Extensive and Intensive Margin: The EITC, Welfare, and Hours Worked” American Economic Review, May 2002, pp. 373-9.                                                                         

 

# V.R. Fuchs; A.B. Krueger; J. M. Poterba, “Economists’ Views about Parameters, Values, and Policies: Survey Results in Labor and Public Economics” Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 36, No. 3. (Sep., 1998), pp. 1387-1425.

 

3. Demand for Labor                                         Week 5/6/7: February 4,6,11,18,20

 

* GB, chapter 4 (excluding 4.6 and 4.11)   

* GB, chapter 5 (excluding 5.4 and 5.5)    

 

# C. Brown, “Minimum Wage Laws: Are They Overrated?” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Summer 1988, pp. 133-145.

 

[February 13 (Thursday): MIDTERM 1]

 

4. “Human Capital”                                           Week 8/9:   February 25,27; March 4

* GB, chapter 7 (all)                          

 

# M. Spence, “Job Market Signaling” Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 87, No. 3. (Aug., 1973), pp. 355-374.

 

5. Labor Unions                                               Week 10:    March 18, 20     

* GB, chapter 11 (all)                         

* H.S. Farber, “The Recent Decline of Unionization in the United States” Science, New Series, Vol. 238, No. 4829. (Nov. 13, 1987), pp. 915-920.

 

6. Contracts and Incentives                                  Week 11: March 25

* GB, chapter 12 (excluding 12.1, 12.2, 12.3)                          

 

[March 27(Thursday): MIDTERM 2]

 

7. Inequality and Discrimination                             Week 12/13: April 1,3, 8, 10

* GB, chapter 8 (excluding 8.4 and 8.5)    

* GB, chapter 10 (excluding 10.4 and 10.5)

* N. Fortin & T. Lemieux, “Institutional Changes and Rising Wage Inequality: Is there a Linkage?” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Spring 1997, pp. 75-96.

        

# G. Johnson, “Changes in Earnings Inequality: The Role of Demand Shifts” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Spring 1997, pp. 41-54.

# W. Darity Jr. &P.Mason, “Evidence on Discrimination in Employment: Codes of Color, Codes of Gender” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Spring 1998, pp. 63-90.

 

8. Migration                                                   Week 14: April 15,17

* GB, chapter 9 (excluding 9.8 - 9.11)      

 

9. Unemployment                                             Week 15: April 22,24

* GB, chapter 13 (excluding 13.6 -13.9)

 

[May 6 (Tuesday) 9:00am: FINAL EXAM]