Vorlesungsverzeichnis

Arbeits- und Personalökonomik (Vorlesung/Übung)

Inhalt: Die Veranstaltung richtet sich ausschließlich an Minor VWL Studierende. Course description: This labor and personnel economics course is an elective for Minor Economics, in which microeconomic theory from previous terms is applied to the labor market and questions relevant for HRM. The first part of the course includes decisions of workers and firms about labor supply and labor demand, the equilibrium in competitive and non-competitive labor markets, and some thoughts about wages and non-monetary job characteristics. The second part of the course discusses different topics such as works councils and unions, incentives and remuneration schemes, human capital, and discrimination in the labor market. The presented theories are accompanied by applications, numerical examples, statistics, home assignments, take-home-questions, and take-home-exercises, which are discussed in class. Please see the course outline for more information about the content. Basic literature: Borjas, 2013, Labor Economics, 6th edition, McGraw-Hill [B-Chapter]. Part 0: Introduction [B1] Part 1: Basic Labor Market Models 1.1. Labor supply [B2] 1.2. Labor demand with perfect competition [B3] 1.3. Labor market equilibrium [B3.9+3.10, B4, B12.2+12.4] 1.4. Non-competitive labor market models [B4.9+4.10] 1.5. Compensating wage differentials [B5] Part 2: Topics 2.1. Works councils and unions [B10] 2.1.1. Works councils 2.1.2. Unions 2.2. Incentives and remuneration schemes [B11] 2.2.1. Agency theory and the need for incentives 2.2.2. Input based remuneration and efficiency wages 2.2.3. Piece rates and performance pay 2.2.4. Promotions and tournament theory 2.2.5. Seniority and deferred compensation schemes 2.3. Human capital [B6] 2.3.1. Human capital vs. signal 2.3.2. Schooling 2.3.3. On-the-job training 2.4. Labor market discrimination [B9] 2.4.1. Race and gender discrimination 2.4.2. Discrimination theories: taste, statistical, crowding, market power 2.4.3. Measuring discrimination => Note that 2.3. and 2.4. are not relevant for the exam due to time restrictions. Nevertheless, the slides and videos have been uploaded for the interested student.

Behavioral Economics (Vorlesung)

Dozent/in: Mario Mechtel

Inhalt: Based on numerous empirical and experimental insights, the field of behavioral economics emerged within the last decades and became an important part of mainstream economic research. The course will cover fundamental topics from this field. We will analyze the effects of reference points for behavior, how individuals make intertemporal choices, the role of social preferences (e.g., altruism, fairness, envy) for decision-making, and how social groups individuals identify with affect behavior. Additionally, we will cover well-known heuristics and biases (e.g., confirmation bias, overconfidence). We will also analyze strategic interaction using behavioral game theory. At the end, we will cover selected applications (e.g., labor market, happiness research, nudging). Behavioral economics embeds insights from disciplines such as psychology and sociology, but aims at building formal models of economic behavior to generate testable predictions. In this course, we will stick to basic principles of neoclassical reasoning and modeling, but we will depart in some dimensions and analyze situations in which individuals have limited willpower, rationality, and self-interest (in some sense). We will, subsequently, compare behavioral approaches and results with those from standard neoclassical economics. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Prospect Theory 3. Intertemporal Choices 4. Social Preferences 5. Social Identity 6. Behavioral Game Theory 7. Heuristics and Biases 8. Selected Applications

Behavioral Economics (Exercise) (Übung)

Dozent/in: Mario Mechtel

Inhalt: See lecture

Gender Economics (Vorlesung/Übung)

Dozent/in: Luise Görges

Termin:
wöchentlich | Freitag | 09:15 - 11:45 | 12.10.2020 - 29.01.2021 | Online-Veranstaltung

Inhalt: Across the world, men and women differ in their economic opportunity, behavior and outcomes. What are the causes and consequences of these differences? In this course, we will study the interaction between gender and economics using the tools of theoretical and empirical economic analyses. The aim of the course is twofold: first, to provide students with an economic way of thinking about gender inequalities confronting women and men around the world; second, to foster students’ ability to assess economic policies designed to reduce these inequalities. Topics may include gender differences in preferences, power dynamics in the household, discrimination in the labor market, gendered effects of globalization, fertility, etc.

International Economics (Vorlesung)

Dozent/in: Michael Lamla

Termin:
wöchentlich | Mittwoch | 10:15 - 11:45 | 12.10.2020 - 29.01.2021 | Online-Veranstaltung

International Economics (Exercise) (Übung)