03.897.2520 Inequality and Social Mobility

Lehrende/r: Katja Maria Kaufmann

Veranstaltungsart: online: Vorlesung

Anzeige im Stundenplan: Inequality and Soc.

Semesterwochenstunden: 2

Unterrichtssprache: Englisch

Min. | Max. Teilnehmerzahl: - | -

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:
Periodicity:
The course takes place every summer semester.

Requirements:
Some statistics/econometrics at the bachelor level.

Course Language:
It is held in English.

Applicability of the Module
As an elective module in M. Sc. in Quantitative Decision Making in Economics and Management and in M. Sc. in International Economics and Public Policy.  

Form of Examination:
Module Exam (60min)

Inhalt:
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the topics of inequality and social mobility, in particular to questions related to income and wealth inequality across households and to questions of intergenerational mobility. In particular, we will address the following set of issues:

• Methodological issues: Inequality in economic outcomes versus inequality in economic opportunities. Welfare considerations related to economic inequality. Measurement of economic inequality.
  
• Empirical facts and trends
  
• Causes/determinants of inequality and mobility (such as, for example, minimum wages, technological progress, educational institutions, migration, gender, demography)
  
• Equality of opportunity versus equality of outcomes
  
• Redistribution and taxation
  
• Consequences: inequality/mobility and growth
  

Empfohlene Literatur:
1) Methodological/theoretical issues (measurement etc)

• Chapters 2 and 3 of “Measuring inequality” by Frank Cowell (freely available on the web).
  
• “On economic inequality” by Amartya Sen (new extended edition).
  

• Thomas Piketty and Gabriel Zucman, 2014. “Capital is back: Wealth-Income Ratios in Rich Countries 1700-2010 “,The Quarterly Journal of Economics (2014), 1255–1310.
  
• Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, 2014. Wealth Inequality in the  United States since 1913: Evidence from capitalized income tax data”, NBER Working  Paper 20625
  

• Christian Dustmann, Bernd Fitzenberger, Markus Zimmermann, 2018. „Housing Expenditures and Income Inequality”, Cream DP 16/18.
  
• ...
  

Digitale Lehre:
The lectures will be provided as on-demand recordings, i.e. students can access them at any time to avoid constraints due to technical/internet problems and to allow for flexibility in case of family/work constraints.

Tutorials will be held live with Microsoft Teams to allow for direct interactions and discussions. In addition I will provide extensive possibilities of weekly office hours to discuss problems and questions in a one-on-one format (or in small groups, if preferred).