DETAILS FOR THE 2021 EDITION WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY.
Labor related issues have been studied in the economics profession from a number of different angles. The Barcelona GSE Labor Economics Summer School covers a wide range of topics in labor economics from a variety of perspectives.
In particular, this summer school offers courses that will cover recent developments within the macro-labor and micro-labor contexts. In each course, both theoretical and empirical aspects will be covered as well as economic policy. These courses should be of interest to graduate students or academics who want to expand their knowledge in the area and to practitioners interested in understanding the fundamentals of these issues. During the courses, faculty are available to discuss research ideas and projects with the program participants.
Program director
Fees and discounts
Fees vary by course based on the number of lecture hours and practical hours.
You may be eligible for one or more available Summer School discounts. Our staff can provide a personalized quote for you.
Economics of Education
Five lectures explore both the demand for education and the supply of education. Most of the course deals with policy debates concerning the best ways to use public funds to supply K-12 education services. The course draws heavily on my 2018 book, Information, Incentives, and Education Policy.
Course Outline
1. Human Capital Models
The first lecture explores models of the demand for education. The development of learning skills and other capacities during childhood shapes adult decisions concerning education and occupational choice and therefore drives much of lifetime income inequality. Since children cannot finance efficient investment in these capacities on their own, governments may improve welfare by funding K-12 education. See Ben Porath (1967), Cuhna and Heckman (2007), Introduction of Neal (2018).2. Empirical Impacts of Education
The second lecture explores the literature on the causal impact of education on life outcomes. At the end of the lecture, we briefly review the Spence signaling model and discuss evidence that separates human capital and signaling explanations for observed casual impacts of schooling on employment and earnings. Card (2000), Clark and Martorell (2013), Chetty et al (2010), Heckman, Lochner, and Todd (2008).3. Education Production
The third lecture examines the empirical literature on the mapping between educational inputs and learning outputs as well as the literature on personnel policies and organizational practices in traditional public schools. A large literature confronts the empirical challenges that researchers face in this area. We review this literature and draw some tentative conclusions about the efficiency of resource allocation in public schools. Todd and Wolpin (2003), Chapter 1 of Neal (2018).4. Assessment-Based Accountability
We review the literature on personnel and accountability policies that attach high-stakes to performance statistics derived from student assessment results. We review both the successes and failure of these policies, and then explore optimal design questions. Neal (2011), Chapter 2 of Neal (2018).5. School Choice
We begin by discussing school assignment mechanisms that allow parents to express their preferences over a menu of public school options. We then review the literature on attempts to expand parental choice through charter schools and voucher systems. Choice policies and assessment-based accountability systems are complements and not substitutes. Both approaches are necessary to create integrated education policies that hold publicly funded educators responsible for all aspects of their performance while limiting the possibility that ill-informed or ill-motivated parents may choose schools that serve their children poorly. Epple et al (2015), Epple et al (2016), Pathak (2016), Chapters 3-5 Neal (2018).Basic Reference
Information, Incentives, and Education Policy (included in the course fees)
Derek A. Neal
Harvard University Press, 2018
ISBN: 9780674050907About the Instructor
Derek Neal is the William C. Norby Professor in the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics and the Committee on Education at the University of Chicago. Much of Professor Neal’s recent research focuses on the design of incentive and accountability systems for educators. In 2018, he published Information, Incentives, and Education Policy (Harvard University Press). This book employs standard tools from information economics to examine a range of education reform agendas, from assessment-based accountability and centralized school assignments to charter schools and voucher systems. Professor Neal demonstrates where these programs have been successful, where they have failed, and why.
Earlier in his career, his research focused on the causes and consequences of measured skill gaps between blacks and whites in the United States. His current work explores how different aspects of criminal justice policy impact black-white inequality in the US.
He is a past President of the Midwest Economics Association, a Fellow of the Society of Labor Economists, and a former Editor of the Journal of Human Resources, the Journal of Labor Economics and the Journal of Political Economy.
University of Chicago
Economics of Migration
Overview
In the world, more than 220 million individuals live in a country different from that of birth. In developed countries, foreign born individuals represent 10.5% of the population. This important factor reallocation is the result of decades of increasing globalization of labor markets. Why people migrate, who migrates where, and what are the economic impacts for the receiving economy, are important questions that have motivated a huge body of research in Economics.
The main objective of this course is to explore the different answers provided in the literature to these questions. We will start focusing on migration decisions. Understanding the motivations to migrate is important to analyze who migrates to each location. Hence, we will explore the theoretical grounds for this type of decision starting from the Roy model, and its seminal implementation in the migration context by Borjas (1987), and then we will review some empirical literature. From a very different angle, recent work in the last few years has estimated structural models of internal migration (Gould, 2007; Kennan and Walker, 2011; Buchinsky et al, 2014 among others). Internal migration decisions have specific idiosyncrasies that make worthy their analysis in a separate way. We will devote important emphasis on migration costs, available information, and the effect of internal migration in shaping local labor markets.
The second part of the course will focus on labor market impacts of immigration. First we will explore the literature that has analyzed the impact of immigration across local labor markets. Later, we will review the literature that studies labor market impacts of immigration at the national level. All these approaches are well detailed in Borjas (2014). Two important difficulties to overcome in both cases are endogeneity of immigrant inflows and adjustments by natives, previous immigrants, and/or prospective migrants. Finally, we will study the assimilation process of immigrants in the labor market.
Course Outline
Part I: Migration Decisions
- International migration decisions
- Migration Decisions
- Immigration Selection: The Roy Model
- Empirical Evidence
- Structural estimation of models of internal migration
Part II: Economic consequences of immigration
- Wage effects of immigration
- Effects on local labor markets
- National level approaches
- Assimilation of immigrants
About the Instructor
Joan Llull is Director of MOVE (Markets, Organizations and Votes in Economics), Associate Professor at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and Affiliated Professor at the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics. He received his PhD in Economics from CEMFI in 2011, and he joined MOVE, Autònoma de Barcelona, and Barcelona GSE afterwards. He is also an external fellow of the Center for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM) from the University College London, and a member of the INSIDE network.
Professor Llull's research focuses on analyzing the causes, consequences, and implications of international and internal migrations, as well as on the analysis of family formation, household structure, and health. His research uses different state-of-the-art econometric techniques, ranging from the estimation of rich equilibrium dynamic discrete choice structural models, to the proposition of novel identification strategies combining different samples is the estimation of parameters of interest from a reduced form of an economic model.
Joan Llull
MOVE, UAB and Barcelona GSE- International migration decisions
Gender Economics
Course Overview
Men earn on average higher wages than women. Men and women concentrate in different occupations, and women are under-represented in the political sphere and high-powered occupations. Women attain on average higher levels of schooling than men, and they take on a higher share of household chores and childcare.
Why these differences? Do they represent a problem? Should families, schools, firms or governments do something about it? This course will provide you with an overview of a recent literature in economics that documents gender gaps in a range of domains, tries to uncover the factors that drive them, and evaluates the effectiveness of different policies in mitigating them.
Course Outline
Some of the main topics that we will cover include:
- Gender gaps in wages and employment
- Gender and education
- Risk aversion, competitiveness, and other traits.
- Family (contraception, fertility, abortion, marriage and divorce, household specialization)
- Gender and public policy
About the Instructor
Libertad González is a professor of Economics at Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the Barcelona GSE. She holds a PhD in Economics from Northwestern University, and has been a visiting scholar at Columbia University and Boston University. Her research lies in the areas of Labor, Public, and Health Economics. She has worked on topics that include the economic effects of immigration, and the effects of public policy on fertility, female labor supply, and child health. She has published in journals such as the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, the Journal of Human Resources, the European Economic Review, the Journal of Applied Econometrics, Labor Economics, etc.
Libertad González
UPF and Barcelona GSE
Call for papers
There is a call for papers for students who wish to present their work. If you are interested in submitting a paper for review, please make your submission at: summerschool@barcelonagse.eu
Please put "Labor call for papers" in the subject line of your email. The deadline for submitting papers is May 30, and the schedule for the presentation of papers will be announced when the selection of papers has been finalized. At the end of the Summer School, participants who have presented a paper will receive an additional certificate.
Who will benefit from this program?
Given the wide range of topics covered in the courses, candidates who would benefit from the labor economics summer school include:
- PhD and master students in Economics (or other social sciences) who want to further their knowledge in labor issues, or whose dissertation focuses on the labor market or related topics
- Researchers and professionals from public institutions and policy-oriented institutions whose work would benefit from exposure to the latest advances in academic research of the labor market or related topics
- Holders of undergraduate degrees in Economics (or other social sciences) who wish to complement their background with a comprehensive overview of the labor market from a variety of perspectives
Certificate of attendance
Participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance stating the courses and number of hours completed.
Fees
The price of each course includes all lecture hours and practical hours. Multiple course discounts are available. Fees for courses in other Summer School programs may vary.
Course fees will be posted shortly.
* Reduced Fee applies to PhD/Masters students, including Barcelona GSE students and alumni. See more information about available discounts or request a personalized discount quote by email.
Course schedule
The schedule is designed to allow students to participate in all courses in the Labor Economics program. Courses can also be taken individually or in combination with courses in other Barcelona GSE Summer School programs, schedule permitting.
Course schedule will be posted shortly.
Mix and match your summer courses!
Remember that you can combine Labor Economics courses with courses in other programs happening during Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3 (schedule permitting).