Labor Economics and Public Policy OpenCourseWare: A Free Undergraduate Labor Economics Course by MIT

Published Feb 10, 2009

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Most people are employed by some company or the other, so studying the economics of labor can be of vital interest to policy makers and to those who wish to get a firm grasp on the forces that move both the market for jobs and wage levels. MIT's free non-credit course, 'Labor Economics and Public Policy,' was taught as part of a Bachelor of Science in Economics program.

Labor Economics and Public Policy: Course Specifics

Degree Level Free Audio Video Downloads
Undergraduate Yes No No Yes

Lectures/Notes Study Materials Tests/Quizzes
No Yes No

Labor Economics and Public Policy: Course Description

The supply and demand for labor follow economic principles just like anything else that's bought and sold. This course, which is part of the free OpenCourseWare offerings from MIT, was an introduction to the unique aspects of how the market for labor responds to microeconomic trends, including taxation, government transfers, minimum wages, union activity and immigration. In addition, the topics of unemployment and discrimination are explored. Through a list of readings and assignments, as well as two exams, the course can introduce students to such phenomenon as wage disparities between white and non-white workers. The course focuses primarily upon applied microeconomics and analysis of empirical data with an emphasis on critical thinking regarding public policy and research. Suggested prerequisites are a basic to intermediate course in microeconomics and a statistics course. The course was taught by Professor Joshua Angrist and is part of the Bachelor of Science in Economics program.

The list of readings, assignments, and exams are available on the course website, and some files will require special software to be opened (STATA® statistical package). If you're interested in taking this course, visit the labor economics course page.

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