B6171 - POLITICAL ECONOMY OF LABOUR MARKETS

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

The course aims to provide an overview of labour market regulation and its organizational logic, the main developments and the factors explaining them, the collective actors involved. At the end of the course, students will be able to: • Analyse and compare regimes of labour market regulation; • Critically discern social, political, and economic inputs and outcomes; • Understand the institutional foundations of labour market regulation.

Contenuti

The course covers key labour market issues such as unemployment, wage determination, skill supply and skill development and job quality. The course takes a comparative institutionalist approach to the study of labour markets and therefore offers an overview of a broad range of institutions and policy areas including, among others, employment protection, unemployment benefits and activation policies, unions and collective bargaining. The course will also address contemporary issues such as creating green jobs, gender equality, labour market policies in the crisis, demographic change&skill shortages.

 

This is a list of topics that will be covered with some indicative readings. 

Intro to the course, key concepts and facts about contemporary labour markets

Clegg, Daniel, and Niccolo Durazzi. "Introduction: Labour Market Policy as a Field of Government Action and an Object of Research." In Handbook of Labour Market Policy in Advanced Democracies, edited by Daniel Clegg and Niccolo Durazzi, 1–13. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023.

Theoretical perspectives on the political economy of labour markets

Howell, David, Dean Baker, Andrew Glyn, and John Schmitt. "Are Protective Labor Market Institutions at the Root of Unemployment? A Critical Review of the Evidence." Capitalism and Society 2, no. 1 (2007): Article 1. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2206526 .

Actors (I): Trade unions&employers

Gordon, Joshua, and Dennie Oude Nijhuis. "Trade Unions and the Evolution of Labour Market Policy." In Handbook of Labour Market Policy in Advanced Democracies, edited by Daniel Clegg and Niccolo Durazzi, 177–192. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023.

Actors (II): The state and international organisations

Zohlnhöfer, Reimut, and Linda Voigt. "Political Parties and Labour Market Policies." In Handbook of Labour Market Policy in Advanced Democracies, edited by Daniel Clegg and Niccolo Durazzi, 161–176. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023.

Industrial relations

Garnero, A. (2021). "The impact of collective bargaining on employment and wage inequality: Evidence from a new taxonomy of bargaining systems." European Journal of Industrial Relations, 27(2), 185–202.

Welfare (i): Unemployment benefits, IWBs and ALMPs

Melike Wulfgramm, Lukas Fervers, Unemployment and subsequent employment stability: does labour market policy matter?,Socio-Economic Review, Volume 13, Issue 4, October 2015, Pages 791–812,

Welfare (iI): Family policies and the gender gap

Ferragina, E. (2019). Does Family Policy Influence Women’s Employment?: Reviewing the Evidence in the Field.Political Studies Review,17(1), 65-80.https://doi.org/10.1177/1478929917736438

Skill formation

Di Carlo, D., & Durazzi, N. (2023). "Skill formation: part of and complement to the labour market policy mix?" In D. Clegg & N. Durazzi (Eds.), Handbook of Labour Market Policy in Advanced Democracies (pp. 327–342). Edward Elgar Publishing.

Employment protection legislation

Piasna, A. (2023). "Employment protection legislation: towards more inclusive or segmented labour markets?" In D. Clegg & N. Durazzi (Eds.), Handbook of Labour Market Policy in Advanced Democracies (pp. 249–263). Edward Elgar Publishing.

Minimum wage

Picot, G. (2023). "Minimum wages: by collective bargaining and by law." In D. Clegg & N. Durazzi (Eds.), Handbook of Labour Market Policy in Advanced Democracies (pp. 234–248). Edward Elgar Publishing

Industrial Policy

Mazzucato, M., Cimoli, M., Dosi, G.et al.Which Industrial Policy Does Europe Need?.Intereconomics50, 120–155 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10272-015-0535-1

 

Dualization or liberalization of labour markets?

Alvariño, Manuel, et al. "The End of the Age of Dualisation? A Comparative Analysis of Fifty Years of Labour Market Protection Reforms in Spain and Italy." https://osf.io/dwn6z/download/?format=pdf

Is wage moderation good or bad for countries?

Stockhammer, Engelbert. "Wage moderation does not work: unemployment in Europe."Review of Radical Political Economics 39.3 (2007): 391-397.

 

The course also includes  2-3 sessions dedicated to the discussion and presention of the groupwork. The groupwork will focus on a policy-relevant question. For instance, last year the group addressed the question "Why are Italian salaries so low in European comparison?"

 

Testi/Bibliografia

Clegg, Daniel, and Niccolo Durazzi, eds. Handbook of labour market policy in advanced democracies. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023.

The module does not always follow the textbook. Please check the material on Virtuale.

Metodi didattici

Interactive lectures; flipped classroom; class debates and group discussions; case studies.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

50% groupwork 50% individual exam

 

Groupwork consist in a presentation and a blog post (around 1,500-2000 words).

A 2-hour written examination for 'frequentanti' (they can choose 2 questions out of three).

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

PP slides; newspaper articles; short clips; case studies; simulation of a tripartite negotiation

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Chiara Benassi