Instructors
Dr. Jessica Vechbanyongratana (ajarn.jessica@gmail.com)
Dr. Sasiwimon Warunsiri Paweenawat (sasiwimon@econ.tu.ac.th)
Course Descriptions
Labor Economics: Theories of labour demand under various types of labour market and product market structures; theories of labour supply; wage determination and wage structure; labour market segmentation and labour market discrimination; unemployment; labour migration; roles of institution affecting labour market operations and government policies related to the labour market.
Human Resource Economics: Economic theories related to investment in human capital, education, training, health care, migration, job information, and child quality assuming heterogeneity of population, econometric model using the selection techniques to correct ability or selectivity bias, macro effects on investment in human capital, the imbalances between rural and urban sectors, the evolution and expansion of the informal sector in the labor market.
Classrooms
409/509
Office Hours
Aj. Jessica: Before class or by appointment. My office hours are in Econ 519.
Aj. Sasiwimon: By appointment. Please send and email to sasiwimon@econ.tu.ac.th to schedule an appointment.
Suggested Textbooks
Boeri , T. and Ours, J. , 2013. The Economics of Imperfect Labor Markets. Second Edition. Princeton University Press.
Ehrenberg, Ronald G. and Smith, Robert S., 2012. Modern Labor Economics Theory and Public Policy. Eleventh Edition, Cornell University. Publisher: Pearson.
Hartog, J. and Henriëtte Maassen van den Brink, 2007. Human Capital: Advances in Theory and Evidence. Universiteit van Amsterdam.
Aj. Sasiwimon's Course Materials
Grading
20% – In-class assignments
40% – In-class quizzes
20% – Empirical project
20% – Empirical project presentation
January 3 9:00-12:00 - Introduction to Labor Economics and Labor Demand (Aj. Jessica)
January 3 13:00-16:00 - Labor Demand Elasticities (Aj. Jessica)
Seltzer, Andrew J. "The effects of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 on the southern seamless hosiery and lumber industries." The Journal of Economic History 57, no. 2 (1997): 396-415.
January 8 9:00-12:00 - Labor Supply (Aj. Sasiwimon)
Quiz 1 (15%) - Overview, Labor Demand, and Demand Elasticities (20 minutes)
January 8 13:00-16:00 – Labor Supply, Household Production, and the Family (Aj. Sasiwimon)
January 10 9:00-12:00 – Gender Discrimination (Aj. Sasiwimon)
Individual presentations on 10 January 2025
You will be required to present one paper
Your job is to read the paper thoroughly, prepare a PowerPoint presentation, and to prepare questions to lead class discussion.
The presentation and class discussion should last around 30 minutes (20 minutes presentation and 10 minutes discussion).
January 10 13:00-16:00 – Gender Wage Gaps (Aj. Sasiwimon)
January 14 9:00-12:00 – Frictions in the Labor Market (Aj. Sasiwimon)
Quiz 2 (10%) - Household Production, Labor Supply, Gender Discrimination, and Gender Wage Gaps (20 minutes)
January 14 13:00-16:00 – Urbanization and Rural-Urban Migration (Aj. Sasiwimon)
January 16 9:00-12:00 – Human Capital: Education and Health (Aj. Sasiwimon)
Individual presentations on 16 January 2025
You will be required to present one paper
Your job is to read the paper thoroughly, prepare a PowerPoint presentation, and to prepare questions to lead class discussion.
The presentation and class discussion should last around 30 minutes (20 minutes presentation and 10 minutes discussion).
January 16 13:00-16:00 – Investment in Human Capital and Training (Aj. Sasiwimon)
January 18 9:00-12:00 – Compensating Wage Differentials + Pay and Productivity (Aj. Jessica)
Quiz 3 (10%) - Frictions in the Labor Market, Urbanization, Migration, and Human Capital (20 minutes)
January 18 13:00-16:00 – Introduction to Thai Labor Force Microdata (Aj. Jessica)
January 21 18:00-21:00 – Empirical Project (Aj. Jessica) Appendices
January 23 18:00-21:00 – Empirical Project (Aj. Jessica)
January 25 9:00-12:00 – Current research on youth labor markets (Aj. Jessica)
January 25 13:00-16:00 – In-class Assignment and Empirical Project Presentations (Aj. Jessica)
Pay and Productivity in-class assignment (15%)
February 6 18:00-21:00 - Household Decision-making Part 1
February 8 9:00-12:00 - Household Decision-making Part 2
February 8 13:00-16:00 - In-class Assignment