ECON 7070 - Labour Economics PG

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2020

This course is designed to introduce students to economic models of the labour market, both theoretical and empirical. Illustrations from current policy debates are used. After completing this course, students will be able to describe key features of the labour market, analyse models of the labour market in order to make predictions concerning the impact of public policy recommendations, and evaluate existing data relating to these predictions. Topics include the supply of labour and accumulation of human capital; the demand for labour in competitive and non-competitive markets; the determination of equilibrium wages; wage discrimination; labour unions; and policies such as minimum wage laws, welfare reform, and trade.

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Course Details

Course Code	ECON 7070
Course	Labour Economics PG
Coordinating Unit	Economics
Term	Semester 1
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 15 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Incompatible	ECON 3504
Assumed Knowledge	ECON 7011
Restrictions	Available to GDipAppEc, MAppEc, students only
Assessment	Case study, tutorial participation, essay and final exam

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Kostas Mavromaras

Professor Kostas Mavromaras
Director, Future of Employment and Skills Research Centre
Level 5, Nexus 10 Tower
10 Pulteney Street
Adelaide SA 5005
Australia

and,

Associate Professor Stephane Mahuteau
Senior Research Fellow, Future of Employment and Skills Research Centre
Level 5, Nexus 10 Tower
10 Pulteney Street
Adelaide SA 5005
Australia

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this subject, the students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a sound understanding of the core concepts and tools of Labour Economics and Policy.

2. Apply economic principles and reasoning to critically analyse labour market phenomena and contemporary academic literature.

3. Develop an understanding of the future role work and jobs in evolving social and economic environments.

4. Communicate their knowledge and understanding of labour market and related social issues using written, verbal and visual expression.

5. Critically evaluate government policies affecting work and jobs

6. Interpret labour market statistics and the statistical outputs in academic papers policy reports and broader economic and social commentary.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1-5
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1-5
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	1-5
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1-5
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	1-5
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	1-5

Learning Resources

Required Resources

The prescribed textbook for this subject is:

Sloane P., P.L. Latreille, N.O'leary, Modern Labour Economics , 2013, Routledge. ISBN 04 154 69813/9780415469814.

The lecture slides, practical questions and other information will be available for studetns on Canvas and can be downloaded or printed from there.

Links to relevant academic papers, reports and other relevant information will be provided to the students for them to download or print.

The lecture nots are not NOT complete- they indicate what is to be covered in the lecture; students are expected to attend the lectures and develop their understanding through writing their own notes.

NOTE: Dictionaries are not allowed in School of Economics Exams. To be advised.

Recommended Resources

A number of links to additional resources, notably academic papers, will be provided in the course of the subject.
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes

This course uses lectures and tutorials. The lectures provide an overview of the course content but students can expect that they will need to study the textbook in order to understand the work. The tutorials will comprise discussions, analysis of academic contributions on a number of topics related to the labour market, discussions on quantitative techniques used in the field of Labour Economics and policy evaluation, introduction to relevant datasets available in Australia and Internationally and the discussion of contemporary policy issues relating to work and jobs. Students will be expected to participate actively in the tutorials and familiarise themselves with the material prior to attending the tutorial.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements. The University expects full-time students (i.e. those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies. This means that, for this course, you are expected to commit approximately 10 hours to private study, that is, study outside of your regular classes.

Learning Activities Summary
The learning activities of this course are organised by topics, some topics will require more than one week (2 hours) lecture, other topics will be covered within one week lecture session. The lecture session is followed by a one hour tutorial session.
Tutorials aim to consolidate your understanding of course material by working through relevant labour market issues and to expand your understanding of course material through group discussions. An indicative list of topics to be covered in the lectures/tutorials follows:
- Labour force participation
- Labour supply
- Labour demand
- Education, skills and training
- Labour mobility
- Mismatches in the labour market and the workplace
- Wage determination and wage incentives
- Asymmetric information on the labour market
- Bargaining and trade unions
- The male-female pay gap
- Labour market policy
- Special workforces
- Automation, robots, and the future work
- Globalisation, trade and work

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Essay/written assignment	Individual	Week 10	30%
Tutorial class participation	Individual	ongoing	10%
Final written exam	Individual	Week 12	60%
Total			100%

Due to the current COVID-19 situation modified arrangements have been made to assessments to facilitate remote learning and teaching. Assessment details provided here reflect recent updates.

To support the changes to teaching, the following revisions to assessment have been made:-

30% online tutorials participation and presentation;
40% a research assignment; and
30% an open book limited time and word-limited online final examination.

The final exam is not an invigilated exam requiring personal attendance. Details will be advised at a later date.

Assessment Related Requirements

No late submissions on the written assignment will be accepted

Assessment Detail

The assessment will consist of 3 components:

1. An essay/individually written assignment to be completed by the 12th week of the session. (worth 30% of the final mark)

2. Tutorial participation. Students are expected to actively participate in the tutorial discussions, ask questions and come prepared to class. (Worth 10% of the final mark)

3. Final exam (worth 60% of the final mark) The final exam will cover the entire course. All material from the lectures, the textbook or the tutorials is examinable.

Submission

Written assignment must be uploaded through the MyUni site for the unit

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator