Labour Market Policies in Comparative Perspective

Lågaregradsemne

Emnebeskrivelse

Mål og innhald

The course provides students with a comprehensive and critical understanding of contemporary labour market policy across advanced capitalist countries. Work is for most people (directly or indirectly) the most important source of their income, and it can have a big impact on social status and well-being. This makes labour market policy a particularly important field of government intervention. The course gives students an opportunity to learn about the general principles of labour market policy as well as variation across developed countries. This is a problem-oriented course that seeks to bridge theoretical and practical knowledge. It will equip students with a critical understanding of the major labour market challenges governments face today, their determinants, and the main policies discussed to tackle them. These challenges include unemployment, precarious employment, and the impact of digitalization. The emphasis is on understanding how various labour market policies function and on the politics that shape them. Since the study of labour market policy is interdisciplinary, we will touch also on economic and sociological perspectives.

Læringsutbyte

A student who has completed the course should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

  • demonstrate their understanding of central concepts as well as the main policy instruments in labour market policy;
  • explain the basics of how labour markets function from an economic perspective and how work is analysed from a sociological perspective;
  • present how labour market policy varies across developed countries;
  • discuss how and to what extent various political actors shape labour market policy;
  • critically discuss the extent, determinants, and possible policy solutions to major labour market challenges in developed countries today;

Skills

  • apply the concepts and theories of labour market policy to specific empirical examples;
  • critically assess media reports and policy proposals;

General competence

  • synthesise theoretical and empirical material on a given topic;
  • differentiate and criticise platitudes in public discourse.

Undervisningssemester

Autumn - irregular (not taught every year)
Krav til forkunnskapar
None
Tilrådde forkunnskapar
Studiepoengsreduksjon
None
Krav til studierett
Open for all students at the University of Bergen.
Arbeids- og undervisningsformer

Form: Lectures

Hours per week: 2

Number of weeks: 10-12

Obligatorisk undervisningsaktivitet
None. But there is a mid-term exam, see forms of assessment (vurderingsformer) below.
Vurderingsformer

Portfolio assessment. The portfolio consist of two parts:

  • Part 1: 3-hour mid-term desk examination (30 %)
  • Part 2: 8-hour final take-home examination (70 %), maximum 2000 words

An overall assessment of the portfolio with one final grade will be given.

The exam will be given in the language in which the course is taught.

The exam can be submitted in English. It is also possible to submit in Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish.

Karakterskala
Grades A-F
Vurderingssemester

Assessment in teaching semester

Re-take exams are arranged for students with valid absence according to § 5-5 of the Study Regulations at UiB. If a retake exam are arranged for students with valid absence, students with the following results can also register:

  • Interruption during the exam
  • Fail/Not passed

If you qualify for the retake exam and a retake exam is arranged for students with valid absence, you can register yourself in Studentweb after January 15.

Emneevaluering
Alle emne blir evaluert i tråd med UiBs kvalitetssystem for utdanning.
Hjelpemiddel til eksamen
Part 1, 3-hour mid-term desk examination (30 %): Dictionary preapproved by the Faculty