Description:

The current events summary is based off a current news article that discusses a current or proposed policy (at the firm, local, state, or federal government level) or other economic issue that has implications for the labor market (e.g., building an oil pipeline, extreme weather event, etc.). It should cover a topic about Labor Supply Theory or Labor Demand Theory.

The summary should be approximately ½-¾ page in length. You may additionally include graphs or figures (though not required) that are not included in the page count. You should also include a PDF of the article that your summary is based on. This should include the full text of the article, date of publication, and name of the news source. Please submit a single PDF containing all files.

Finding Articles:

Your news article should come from a reputable source (for example, but not limited to: The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, The Economist, Sacramento Bee, etc.), and should have been written/published within 3 weeks of the date you submit the assignment. Some news outlets have free online access; you can also find electronic and paper copies of current periodicals in the library.

Grading:

Grading will be based on:

Summary of the policy or issue: Briefly describe the policy or issue in the article to someone who is unfamiliar with it. The article must be attached. (5 points)

Relevance to labor economics: Briefly describe how this article applies to a labor economics topic that we have covered in the course. (5 points)

Theoretical predictions: Using the material you have learned in the course, discuss the theoretical effects of the policy/issue. Although not required, you can create and reference graphs or figures if helpful. (10 points)

Conclusions: Why might you expect (or not expect) the actual labor market consequences to differ from your theoretical predictions? (10 points)

University of California, Davis Professor Jenna Stearns Department of Economics Spring 2019

Clarity of writing, structure, and grammar: Although this is a short assignment, I expect the summary to be well-written, free of typos, and cohesively address all of the above components. (5 points)

Originality: There are many issues that affect the labor market in the news every day. These assignments are a chance for you to explore a topic that is of interest to you. You should find a policy or issue that we have not discussed in detail in class, and is not an example in the textbook. (5 points)

Advice:

This assignment is intentionally a little vague to allow you to find and analyze current issues in labor economics that most interest you. I am primarily interested in your ability to connect current issues affecting the labor market with the theory we discuss in class. To make your theoretical prediction, it may be useful to make some assumptions about the labor market (e.g., leisure is a normal good, upward sloping labor supply curve, etc.). You do not need to discuss every possible scenario. Feel free to come see me during office hours with questions.