Curs 2013-14
Políticas de Ocupación y Mercado de Trabajo (21689)
Titulació/estudi: Grado de Ciencias Políticas y de la Administración
Curs: 3º y 4º
Trimestre: 2n
Nombre de crèdits ECTS: 4
Hores dedicació estudiant: 100
Llengua o llengües de la docència: Anglés
Professorat: Luis Ortiz
1. Introduction to the course
The aim of this course is to acquire a good knowledge of recent developments of labour markets in OECD countries and the main problems these labour markets are currently facing; to make a comparative analysis of different policies designed to cope with them; and finally to address the situation of groups that suffer from a weak position in the labour market (i.e. women and ethnic minorities). Besides, the course is aimed at making the student familiar with concepts and indicators generally used to assess labour market and employment policies.
The transition from Fordism to Post-Fordism (and from Industrial to Post-Industrial societies) has generally entailed a dilemma between unemployment and inequality. For many societies, such a dilemma has turned unemployment into a central challenge for governments. After historically revising the evolution of labour markets in Europe and the national institutions shaping the entry into the labour market, the course will explore the determinants and levels of unemployment in comparative perspective; it will analyse different policies carried out to fight unemployment and the results these policies have had. The situation of women and ethnic minorities will be especially addressed in the last two weeks of the course.
2. Skills (competencies) to attain
General competencies to develop over the course:
- Ability to think analytically and synthesize
- Problem-solving capabilities
- Ability to think critically about student's own arguments as well as about others' arguments, either written or orally stated ones
- Ability to get documented about a topic and research on it.
Competencies specifically related to the course:
- Ability to get acquainted with the historical dimension of social and political processes
o The student should acquire a good knowledge of the historical developments that have led to current labour markets in OECD countries, and the main problems these labour markets are facing.
- Ability to assess institutions, process and policies in a comparative perspective
o The student is expected to acquire the ability to make a comparative analysis of the different policies designed to cope with the abovementioned problems; and to address the situation of groups that suffer from a particularly weak position in the labour market (i.e. women and ethnic minorities).
- Ability to recognise the economic environment and the economic dimension of the public sector
o Such a competence is implicit in the role the State obviously plays in the design and implementation of labour market policies
3. Content
General introduction
Week 1. Historical introduction: from Industrial to Post-Industrial Societies. The dilemmas of current labour markets and Varieties of Capitalism
Week 2. Occupational change: Technological change and new skills in the global economy
Globalisation and unemployment
Week 3. International trade, offshoring and unemployment
National institutions
Week 4. Collective bargaining
Week 5. Systems of education and transition from school to work
Main issues and national policies
Week 6. Unemployment: cross-national view and passive labour market policies
Week 7. Active labour market policies
Week 8. Flexibility, atypical employment and labour market segmentation
Analysis of groups especially vulnerable to unemployment
Week 9. Gender: Gender gap in employment, atypical employment and earnings in cross-national perspective
Week 10. Ethnic minorities: structural, economic and institutional causes of ethnic labour market segregation.
4. Assessment
Final marks will be provided on a 0 to 10 scale.
- 50% of the mark will be based on students' performances in a final exam, based on lectures materials and basic readings (see below).
- 30% of the mark will be based on students' participation in seminars held every two weeks along the course.
- 20% of the mark will be based on written research on unemployment levels and policies in a selected country.
Retake exams and procedure
Students who have failed the exam in the first instance will be entitled to a second opportunity (retake exam) provided that a) they have attended satisfactorily more than half of the seminars and b) have submitted the written research mentioned above. The retake exam will take place between the fourth and fifth week of the third term, in a period ex-professo established by the university in the academic calendar.
5. References and resources
The following basic readings are compulsory for the exam.
5.1. Basic references
- Bradley D. H. & Stephens, J. D. (2007) "Employment Performance in OECD Countries. A Test of Neoliberal and Institutionalist Hypotheses." Comparative Political Studies, 40(12): 1486-1510.
- Esping-Andersen, G. Social Foundations of Postindustrial Economies. Oxford University Press. Chapter 6 (pp. 99-119).
- Hall, Peter A., y David Soskice. 2001. "An introduction to Varieties of Capitalism." in Varieties of Capitalism, edited by Peter A. Hall y David Soskice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (pp. 1-70)
- Lindbeck, A. & Snower, D.J. (2001) "Insiders versus Outsiders", The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 15(1): 165-188
- Polavieja, J. (2005) "Flexibility or polarization? Temporary employment and job tasks in Spain", Socio-Economic Review 3(2): 233-258
- Wright, E. O. & Dwyer, R. 2003. "The patterns of job expansions in the USA: A comparison of the 1960s and 1990s". Socio-Economic Review 1: 289-325.
5.2. Other resources
The didactic resources for the course are, on the one hand, the readings to be discussed in each of the seminars held along the course. These readings will be made available to the students on-line and will appear in a syllabus also made public to them the beginning of the course. On the other hand, students are expected to use the following statistical databases to gather empirical evidence for the written research (essay) mentioned above:
- OECD stats: http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx
- ILO : http://laborsta.ilo.org/
- EUROSTAT : http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/statistics/themes
- EURYDICE: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/eurybase_en.php
- EIRO: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/
These databases are expected to provide students with evidence on the levels of unemployment in the country they have selected for their research, the policies designed to cope with it and the incidence of unemployment among the groups (women, ethnic minorities) more vulnerable to unemployment.
6. Methodology
The course is structured in lectures and seminars. Each week will be devoted to a topic, to be dealt with again in a subsequent seminar. A question for discussion will be provided for each seminar. This question should guide and focus the readings for the seminar, which will appear in a syllabus made public to the students at the beginning of the course.
Along with lectures and seminars, the students are expected to make a brief research on the level and characteristics of unemployment in this country; the active and passive policies that have been designed to cope with it, and, finally, the incidence of unemployment among women and immigrants. The structure of the research case should thus follow broadly the structure of the programme. Students are expected to rely on the statistical databases mentioned above.
7. Calendar
|
Set |
Ses |
Tip |
Contingut de la sessió |
Treball de l'alumne/a durant la setmana |
|||
|
Activitat d'aprenentatge |
Hor.Pre. |
Hor. No Pre. |
|||||
|
A l'aula |
Fora de l'aula |
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|
Iª |
1 |
T |
Historical introduction |
Pay attention to the lecture, answer the lecturer's question, contribute to interpret graphs and tables |
|
2 |
|
|
2 |
T |
Special session on concepts |
Pay attention to the lecture, answer the lecturer's question, contribute to interpret graphs and tables |
1 |
|||
|
IIª |
3 |
T |
Occupational change |
Pay attention to the lecture, answer the lecturer's question, contribute to interpret graphs and tables |
Make a critical reading of the readings for the next seminar Document the selected national case study |
2 |
5 |
|
4 |
S |
Introduction to statistical databases |
Explore the statistical databases available at the library with the lecturer and practice with them |
1 |
|||
|
IIIª |
5 |
T |
International trade, Offshoring and unemployment |
Pay attention to the lecture, answer the lecturer's question, contribute to interpret graphs and tables |
Make a critical reading of the readings for the next seminar Document the selected national case study + get tables and graphs about it |
2 |
5 |
|
6 |
S |
Seminar on 'Occupational Change' |
Discuss critically the readings assigned for the seminar and used them to reason an answer for the seminar question |
2 |
|||
|
IVª |
7 |
T |
Collective bargaining |
Pay attention to the lecture, answer the lecturer's question, contribute to interpret graphs and tables |
Make a critical reading of the readings for the next seminar Document the selected national case study + get tables and graphs about it |
2 |
5 |
|
8 |
S |
Seminar on 'International trade, Offshoring and unemployment0' |
Discuss critically the readings assigned for the seminar and used them to reason an answer for the seminar question |
2 |
|||
|
Vª |
9 |
T |
Systems of education and transition to work |
Pay attention to the lecture, answer the lecturer's question, contribute to interpret graphs and tables |
Make a critical reading of the readings for the next seminar Document the selected national case study + get tables and graphs about it |
2 |
5 |
|
10 |
S |
Seminar on 'Collective bargaining' |
Discuss critically the readings assigned for the seminar and used them to reason an answer for the seminar question |
2 |
|||
|
VIª |
11 |
T |
Unemployment: cross-national analysis and passive policies |
Pay attention to the lecture, answer the lecturer's question, contribute to interpret graphs and tables |
Make a critical reading of the readings for the next seminar Document the selected national case study + get tables and graphs about it |
2 |
5 |
|
12 |
S |
Seminar on 'Systems of education and training' |
Discuss critically the readings assigned for the seminar and used them to reason an answer for the seminar question |
2 |
|||
|
VIIª |
13 |
T |
Active labour market policies |
Pay attention to the lecture, answer the lecturer's question, contribute to interpret graphs and tables |
Make a critical reading of the readings for the next seminar Document the selected national case study + get tables and graphs about it |
2 |
5 |
|
14 |
S |
Seminar on 'Cross-national variation in unemployment and current crisis' |
Discuss critically the readings assigned for the seminar and used them to reason an answer for the seminar question |
2 |
|||
|
VIIIª |
15 |
T |
Flexibility, atypical employment and labour market segmentation |
Pay attention to the lecture, answer the lecturer's question, contribute to interpret graphs and tables |
Make a critical reading of the readings for the next seminar Document the selected national case study + get tables and graphs about it Preparing the public presentation next week |
2 |
10 |
|
16 |
S |
Seminar on 'Flexibility and labour market segmentation' |
Discuss critically the readings assigned for the seminar and used them to reason an answer for the seminar question |
2 |
|||
|
IXª |
17 |
T |
Gender gap in employment |
Pay attention to the lecture, answer the lecturer's question, contribute to interpret graphs and tables |
Make a critical reading of the readings for the next seminar Document the selected national case study + get tables and graphs about it |
2 |
5 |
|
18 |
S |
Presentation of research on national case studies |
Discuss critically the readings assigned for the seminar and used them to reason an answer for the seminar question |
2 |
|||
|
Xª |
19 |
T |
Ethnic minorities |
Pay attention to the lecture, answer the lecturer's question, contribute to interpret graphs and tables |
Make a critical reading of the readings for the next seminar
|
2 |
2 |
|
20 |
S |
Seminar on 'Immigration and unemployment in host countries' |
Discuss critically the readings assigned for the seminar and used them to reason an answer for the seminar question |
2 |
|||
|
Dedicació hores: Subtotal |
38 |
48 |
|||||
|
XIª XIIª |
Dedicació hores per la preparació de l'avaluació final |
10 10 |
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|
TOTAL HORES DE L'ASSIGNATURA |
100 |
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Sem: nº de setmana; Ses: nº de sessió; Tip: tipus de sessió, T (teoria), S (seminari); Hor. Pre: Hores presencials previstes.; Hor. No Pre: Hores no presencials, temps estimat.