15.677
Labor Markets and Employment Policy
Research-based examination of how labor markets work — and how they have evolved over time — through trends such as rising income inequality, technological change, globalization, falling worker power, and the fissuring of the workplace. Through reading and engaging with economics research papers, students use theoretical frameworks and rigorous empirical evidence to analyze public policy interventions in the labor market, including unemployment insurance, minimum wage, unions, family leave, anti-discrimination policies, and workforce development. Preference to graduate and PhD students.
Spring 2005 · Urban Labor Markets and Employment Policy
Topics
- Introduction
- Thinking About Policy in Broad Terms and Outcomes
- The Demand for Labor
- Changing Work Structures Within Firms / Internal Labor Markets, Networks, Structure
- Policy Overview and Alternative National Systems
- The Evaluation: An Overview
- Adult Training
- Unions and Living Wage Campaigns
- Organizing and Pulling It Together
- Student Papers
Readings
- Thinking About Policy in Broad Terms
- Weir, M., A. Orloff, and T. Skocpol, eds. “Understanding American Social Politics.” In The Politics of Social Policy in the United States. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1998. ISBN: 0691028419.
- Korpi, W. “Approaches to the Study of Poverty in the United States, Critical Notes From A European Perspective.” Poverty and Public Policy. Edited by Vincent Covello. Rochester, VT: Schenkman Books, 1980. ISBN: 0870738895.
- Lindbeck, A. “Overshooting, Reform, and the Retreat of the Welfare State.” In The Welfare State: The Selected Essays of Assar Lindbeck . Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing, 1993. ISBN: 185278721X.
- Blank, R. Social Protection vs. Economic Flexibility: Is There A Tradeoff? Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1994, Introduction, and chapter 1. ISBN: 0226056783.
- Osterman, P. Securing Prosperity. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000, chapter 1, and 2. ISBN: 0691086885.
- Howell, D. “The Skills Myth.” The American Prospect , Summer 1994, 81-90.
- Levy, F. and R. Murnane. “Honda of America and Northwestern Mutual Life.” In Teaching the New Basic Skills. New York, NY: Free Press, 1996. ISBN: 0684827395
- Cappelli, P. “Is the ‘Skills Gap’ Really About Attitudes?” California Business Review (Summer 1995).
- Johnson, G. “Changes In Earnings Inequality: The Role of Demand Shifts.” Journal of Economic Perspectives (Spring 1997): 41-54.
- Holzer, H., J. Lane, and L. Vilhuber. “Escaping Low Earnings: The Role of Employer Characteristics and Changes.” Industrial and Labor Relations Review (July 2004).
- Changing Work Structures Within Firms
- Osterman, P. Securing Prosperity. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000, chapter 1, 2, and 4. ISBN: 0691086885.
- Houseman, S. “Flexible Staffing Arrangements.” Working Paper. Kalamazoo, MI: W. E. UpJohn Institute of Employment in the United States, 1999.
- Piore, M. “Notes for A Theory of Labor Market Stratification.” MIT Working Paper_._ Department of Economics, 1972.
- Newman, K. No Shame In My Game. New York, NY: Vintage Press, 2000, chapters 3, and 6. ISBN: 0375703799.
- Weir, M. Politics and Jobs. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993, chapter 3, and 4. ISBN: 0691024928.
- America’s Choice: High Skills or Low Wages. National Center on Education and Economy, 1990, Executive Summary, and chapters 2 and 12. ISBN: 0962706302.
- Osterman, P. Employment Futures. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1988, chapter 6. ISBN: 019505279X.
- The Evaluation Literature: An Overview
- Friedlander, D., D. Greenberg, and P. Robins. “Evaluating Government Training Programs for the Economically Disadvantaged.” Journal of Economic Literature 34, no. 4 (1997): 1809-1855.
- Youth Labor Market
- Osterman, P. “Is There A Problem With The Youth Labor Market, And If So How Should We Fix It?” In Poverty, Inequality, and The Future of Social Policy . Edited by Katherine McFate, Roger Lawson, and William Julius Wilson. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation Publications, 1996. ISBN: 0871545934.
- Soskice, D. “Reconciling Markets and Institutions: The German Apprenticeship System.” In Training and the Private Sector . Edited by Lynch. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1994. ISBN: 0226498107.
- Bailey, T. “Can Youth Apprenticeship Thrive in the United States?” Educational Researcher (April 1993): 4-10.
- Stern, D., et al. School To Work. London, UK: The Falmer Press, 1995, chapters 2, and 3. ISBN: 0750704292.
- Fitzgerald, J., and V. Carlson. “Ladders To A Better Life.” The American Prospect , 19 June 2000.
- Giloth, R., ed. “Introduction,” “Poppe, Shawn, and Martison,” “Kazis,” “Carnevale,” and “Berry.” Chapters 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8 in Workforce Intermediaries In the Twenty-First Century . Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2003. ISBN: 1592132049.
- Rangarajan, A. “Staying On, Moving Up: Strategies to Help Low Wage Workers Retain Employment and Advance in Their Jobs.” Working Paper. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, 2000.
- Strawn, J., and K. Martinson. “Promoting Access to Better Jobs: Lessons for Job Advancement From Welfare Reform.” In Low-Wage Workers in the New Economy . Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press, 2001. ISBN: 0877667055.
- Teitz, M. “Neighborhood Economies: Local Communities and Regional Labor Markets.” Economic Development Quarterly, May 1989.
- Porter, M. “The Competitive Advantage of the Inner City.” Harvard Business Review (May/June 1995).
- Turner, B. “Union Innovations: Moving Workers from Poverty into Family Sustaining Jobs.” In Low Wage Workers in the New Economy . Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press, 2001. ISBN: 0877667055.
- Erickson, C. “Justice for Janitors in Los Angeles.” British Journal of Industrial Relations 40 (April 2002): 543-567.
- Living Wage Campaigns
- Freeman, R. “Fighting For Other Folks’ Wages: The Logic of Living Wage Campaigns.” Forthcoming issue of Industrial Relations .
- Brenner, M. “The Economic Impact of the Boston Living Wage Ordinance.” Forthcoming issue of _Industrial Relations. _ Adams, S., and D. Neumark. “When Do Living Wages Bite?” Forthcoming issue of Industrial Relations.
- Osterman, P. Gathering Power, The Future of Progressive Politics In America. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2003, chapters 2, and 5. ISBN: 0807043389.
- Osterman, P., and B. Lautsch. “Project QUEST: A Report to the Ford Foundation.” Working Paper. Boston, MA: MIT Sloan School of Management, January 1996.
- Pulling It Together
- Osterman, P. Securing Prosperity. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000, chapters 5, 6, and 7. ISBN: 0691086885.
- Uhalde, R., M. Selzer, P. Tate, and R. Klein-Collins. “Towards A National Workforce Education Policy.” National Center on Education and the Economy, 2003.
- During the course you will also be asked to read Securing Prosperity and Gathering Power . These books can be found with the following information:
- Osterman, Paul. Securing Prosperity. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000. ISBN: 0691086885.
- ———. Gathering Power. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2003. ISBN 0807043389.
Prerequisites & course information
Same subject as 11.427[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) 3-0-9 units
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2005
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.