Busi­ness, gender and la­bour mar­ket in­equal­ity

Course content

Inequality is a central issue in contemporary debates in business and social sciences as exemplified by Piketty’s research on inequality in his path-breaking book – “Capital in the Twenty-First Century". International organisations, such as the OECD, the World Bank and the European Union, are increasingly concerned with rising inequality across and within countries. Welfare states and labour markets are an important source and mitigator of inequalities. At the same time, labour market inequalities have a strong gender dimension which can be tackled by a variety of policies.

This course provides key inside on the role of governments, business and trade unions in creating and mitigating gender and labour market inequalities across countries and sectors of the economy. We examine various inequalities (gender, youth, migrant, low skilled) arising from recent decades of welfare state and labour market reforms and organizational changes within firms. The course thereby provides the students with analytical tools to assess the social and economic sustainability of advanced and emerging economies.

Digitalisation and big data are new trends influencing labour market inequalities. They also create new ethical dilemmas. For instance, we scrutinize the dilemmas in the "gig economy" and its implications on business models, wages and working conditions.

The course also focuses on work-place inequalities, especially from a gendered perspective and with a focus on youth and migrants. We discuss and examine, on the basis of country-examples, what businesses and policy makers can do to tackle such inequalities.

The course will enable the students to conduct independent research within the theme of labour market inequalities. Students will get hands-on experience of using relevant indicators and data and relating these to concepts and theories. This will allow them to analyse and understand complex societal problems. The skills acquired in this course are useful in preparation for writing a bachelor thesis and transferable to other settings, including work in businesses as well as, governmental and international organizations.

The coordinators and teachers of this course have an active labour market and gender research agenda and are involved in a range of EU projects of high relevance to this course.

Indicative overview of sessions

1. Course introduction and lecture – Labour market inequalities

2. Lecture -- Social investment across the globe

3. Group exercise – Labour markets and social protection across Europe

4. Lecture – The role of governments in moderating low wages

5. Lecture – The role of collective bargaining in labor market inequalities

6. Group exercise on wages and collective bargaining

7. Lecture – Flexible workers for flexible jobs - youth and migrants

8. Lecture – The "gig economy" - new inequalities through digitalisation of labour?

9. Group exercise – Working time and working conditions

10. Lecture – Unemployed and big data in public employment services

11. Group exercise - unemployment and active labour market policy

12. Lecture – Institutional constraints and opportunities for gender equality

13. Group exercise – Determinants of gender (in-)equality with a focus on welfare state and labour markets

14. Lecture – The role of the firm in gender equality

15. Student presentations of research question and approach in view of the exam & wrap-up and evaluation