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One question from Labor Market Outcomes: Definitions & Trends (Question 1or Question 2) ? One question from Supply-side Explanations (Question 3 or Question 4) ? One question from Demand-side Explanations (Question 5 or Question 6)

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One question from Labor Market Outcomes: Definitions & Trends (Question 1or Question 2) ? One question from Supply-side Explanations (Question 3 or Question 4) ? One question from Demand-side Explanations (Question 5 or Question 6). Each essay answer should be two pages - typed, double-spaced, one-inch margins, Times-New Roman 12 point font. The three essay answers should be submitted together in one (six page) document. The link to the book. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780190620... you will need it.ECON 120 Final Essay Exam Instructions & Questions Course Syllabus Information: Essay Exams (40%): The Mid-term and Final Essay Exams build on the Study Questions in the Chapter Guides, Discussion Board posts and Quizzes - asking you to address more broad-based and integrative questions. If this were an in-person course, we would call these “take home exams” - you will be able to work on the exams on your own schedule and take the time you need to address the questions, within the time windows established for the exams. The exams are due Mon. Mar. 15 & Tues. May 11 at 10:00 pm (see Tentative Course Schedule). You are authorized to use your course materials in writing the exams, but are required to do your own work and not receive assistance from other individuals or sources. The Mid-Term Essay Exam and Final Essay Exam are each worth a potential 100 points, with each comprising 20 percent of the course grade. The Final Essay Exam will be available Tues. May 4 (8:00 am) – Tues. May 11 (10:00 pm). It may be uploaded in Canvas as a PDF or Word (doc, docx) file anytime during this time window. Instructions: Structure & Format The Final Essay Exam requires answers for three questions (worth 32 points each, plus 4 points for correct formatting). Please select three questions from the Final Essay Questions: ? One question from Labor Market Outcomes: Definitions & Trends (Question 1or Question 2) ? One question from Supply-side Explanations (Question 3 or Question 4) ? One question from Demand-side Explanations (Question 5 or Question 6) Please write an essay answer addressing the questions you have selected, using Econ 120 Spring 2021 course materials as your information source, and following the formatting instructions. This is an exam assessing your knowledge of the material covered in this course, and the formatting instructions are meant to make the page-number guidance on length meaningful, and assist my on-line reading. Each essay answer should be two pages - typed, double-spaced, one-inch margins, Times-New Roman 12 point font. The three essay answers should be submitted together in one (six page) document. On the first line of the first page of your exam, please type your name and the numbers of the questions you have selected: For example, Janice Peterson, Questions 2, 4, 6. With a Canvas upload, it is not necessary for you to provide any other identifying information. Begin your first essay right below this. When you begin the essay for each question, please do not rewrite the question, simply type its number (please do not use a bulleted list). For example, 2. In studies of gender earnings differentials in the U.S., the “pay gap” is defined as ….. Please start a new page for each new question/essay. Please structure your essays using paragraphs - throughout the essays, not just at the beginning of a new question, new page, etc. Simply indent the first line of the beginning of the paragraph (you do not need to separate each paragraph with quadruple spacing). Please do not upload tables of graphs into your essays. If you are discussing information from a table or graph, please just identify it by number (for example, Table 7-4). 1 Final Exam Questions Labor Market Outcomes: Definitions & Trends (Chpt.7) ? Select Question #1 or #2 1. In their introduction to labor market outcomes, Blau and Winkler argue that “One of the most salient differences in women’s and men’s labor market outcomes for as long as we have had data has been the pronounced differences in men’s and women’s occupations” (p.157). Taking care to define the key terms and concepts that you are using, discuss what you consider the key questions and findings on the differences in occupational attainment among women and men (featured in our course materials). For example, how have economists tried to measure differences in the occupational distribution of women and men? What are examples of important changes in the occupational distribution over time, as well as examples of where there has been little change? What do we learn from examining detailed occupational breakdowns and hierarchies within occupations? 2. The gender pay ratio (or “pay gap”) is the most popularly recognized and discussed indicator of women’s status in the U.S. labor market. Blau and Winkler also note additional indicators, such as gender differences in union membership, self-employment, and nonstandard work are important. Taking care to define the key terms and concepts that you are using, discuss what we have learned about the relative labor market status of women from the gender pay ratio, and what can be gained from considering additional labor market indicators. For example, what has been the overall trend in the gender pay ratio? How does the gender pay ratio vary across women with different characteristics? In addition, select one (or two) of the additional labor market indicators (listed above) and discuss the contribution to understanding trends in the gender pay ratio, differences in these trends across different groups of women, and/or the women’s labor market status more generally. Supply-side Explanations (Overview Lecture, Chpt.8) ? Select Question #3 or #4 3. Supply-side explanations of the differences in labor market outcomes for women and men focus on differences in productivity related attributes, such as educational attainment. Human capital theory provides the dominant neoclassical explanation for differences in educational attainment between women and men, in particular, lower attainment of higher education for women (in the past) and different types of higher education for women (fields study, college majors) today. Taking care to define the key terms and concepts that you are using, discuss how human capital theory models the educational investment decision, and why according to this model women might invest in less higher education or pursue different fields of study or college majors. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the human capital explanation of women’s educational attainment? 4. Supply-side explanations of the differences in labor market outcomes for women and men focus on differences in productivity related attributes, such as educational attainment. The concept of societal discrimination challenges human capital theory and provides alternative supply-side explanations for differences in educational attainment between women and men, such as lower attainment of higher education (in the past) and different types of higher education (fields study, college majors) today. Taking care to define the key terms and concepts that you are using, discuss the various ways different manifestations of societal discrimination can impact women’s educational investment choices, explaining why women might invest in less higher education or pursue different fields of study or college majors. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the societal discrimination explanations of women’s educational attainment? 2 Demand-side Explanations (Overview lecture, Chpts.10-11, Wolfers) ? Select Question #5 or #6 5. Demand-side explanations shift the focus of analysis to the decisions of employers and the structure of labor markets, expressed through the concept of labor market discrimination (which has a very particular definition in economics). Empirical analyses of labor market discrimination seek to provide evidence that labor market discrimination exists. Labor market-wide statistical analysis (econometric analysis of large, nationally representative data sets) has become the standard approach in the empirical analysis of labor market discrimination. As the assigned reading (Chpt.10, Wolfers) also indicates, additional empirical methods (statistical analysis of subgroups, experiments, analysis of court cases, language/discourse analysis) can add depth to the discussion. Taking care to define the key terms and concepts you are using, explain how statistical (econometric) labor market-wide analyses approach the study of labor market discrimination. For example, what is the primary research question that guides this analysis? What type of evidence does this analysis provide? In addition, select one (or two) of the additional empirical methods (listed above) and describe how they approach the study of labor market discrimination and the types of evidence they bring to the discussion. 6. Demand-side explanations shift the focus of analysis to the decisions of employers and the structure of labor markets, expressed through the concept of labor market discrimination (which has a very particular definition in economics). Theoretical models of labor market discrimination seek to show how labor market discrimination could exist. Taking care to define the key terms and concepts you are using, discuss a. the “tastes for discrimination” and “statistical discrimination” models or b. the “overcrowding” and “institutional” models of labor market discrimination and labor markets. a. The “tastes for discrimination” and “statistical discrimination” models are the two primary neoclassical models of labor market discrimination, each conceptualizing labor market discrimination differently and coming to different conclusions about the persistence of labor market discrimination over time. Describe the major arguments of each of these two models with respect to how gender discrimination occurs, and the outcomes for women workers. What are the strengths and weaknesses of these two approaches? b. Both the “overcrowding” model and “institutional” models incorporate labor market discrimination (in the form of occupational segregation) directly into the analysis, but differ in terms of the extent to which market forces (supply & demand) continue to play a role in wage determination. Describe the major arguments of each of these two models with respect to how gender discrimination negatively affects labor market outcomes for women workers. What are the strengths and weaknesses of these two approaches? Final Notes Please remember that this an exam on course materials, not a research paper. If you find yourself thinking that you need to include references from outside of the course material to answer a question, please stop. If you cannot write your answer based on the information in the course materials, you are not on the track. Please note that using the course materials as your information source does not mean simply cutting-and pasting sections of text from the textbook, lectures, answer notes, etc. That is not doing your own work. Finding the appropriate information in your course materials is an important first step. Drawing on that material to provide your own discussion is a necessary second step. 3