- UCAS course code
- L900
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Arts (BAEcon)
BAEcon Development Studies
In-depth study into the problems and options faced by the developing world.
Duration: 3 or 4 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: L900 / Institution code: M20
- Key features:
Study abroad
Industrial experience
- Typical A-level offer: AAA including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: ABB including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: BBB including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 36 points overall with 6,6,6 at HL, including specific subjects
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £29,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
Scholarships and bursaries, including the Manchester Bursary , are available to eligible home/EU students.
Some undergraduate UK students will receive bursaries of up to £2,000 per year, in addition to the government package of maintenance grants.
You can get information and advice on student finance to help you manage your money.
Course unit details:
Topics in Labour Economics
| Unit code | ECON32242 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 3 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Pre/co-requisites
| Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Econometrics | ECON20110 | Pre-Requisite | Compulsory |
| Principles of Microeconomic Theory 2: Markets, Prices and Strategy | ECON10172 | Pre-Requisite | Compulsory |
| Microeconomics 2 | ECON10232 | Pre-Requisite | Compulsory |
| Quantitative Methods | ECON20222 | Pre-Requisite | Compulsory |
| Microeconomics 2 | ECON20232 | Pre-Requisite | Compulsory |
(ECON20110 Econometrics or ECON20222 Quantitative Economics) AND (ECON10232 Microeconomics 2 or ECON20232 Microeconomics 2 or ECON10172 Principles of Microeconomic Theory 2)
Aims
The course aims to:
- Introduce students to imperfect labour markets and policies aimed at addressing the respective imperfections
- Understand and apply key econometric and statistical methods to empirically study (imperfect) labour markets and policies
- Develop critical analysis skills to evaluate (labour market) policies and economic studies
- Develop the employability skill of describing and discussing labour market policies to a broader audience
Syllabus
Provisional
The course covers “Imperfect Labour Markets” and polices aimed at addressing it:
1. Introduction to imperfect labour markets
2. Minimum wages
3. Anti-discrimination
4. Gender Pay Gap
5. Family Policies
6. Education
7. Unemployment insurance and active labour market policies
8. If time permits: Pension, Retirement
Teaching and learning methods
New content will be delivered to students asynchronously (reading) as well as synchronously through lectures. The virtual learning environment (VLE) will clearly guide students through the different sources of content.
Students' learning will be supported by offering regular tutorials in smaller groups. In these tutorials students will be given the opportunity to work on problems, discuss applied cases and policy problems with their peers and teaching staff as well as practice their presentation skills.
Tutorials are an important source of formative feedback for students as they will be able to assess their state of understanding of the material through engagement in tutorials. In addition, students will be able to use a discussion board in which they can test their understanding as well as ask questions to their peers and the teaching staff. In addition to these formative feedback opportunities, the in-term assessments (see below) will provide summative and formative feedback to students.
Knowledge and understanding
- Understand how economic research can inform the discussion on labour market policies
- Understand the (econometric) methods to evaluate labour market policies
- Evaluate current policies and research
- Be able to independently read current empirical research in Labour Economics as well as communicating it to a non-economist audience
Intellectual skills
- Critically evaluate applied work and policies in the fields of Labour Economics
- Understand advantages and limitations of each econometric method and their applications in Labour Economics.
Practical skills
- Independently identify and assess relevant literature
- Identify suitable econometric technique(s) relevant to research questions in the fields of Labour Economics.
Transferable skills and personal qualities
- Concisely summarise empirical results and compile research reports.
- Be able to evaluate the design of policies by drawing on the discussions and methods introduced in this module
- Present research, empirical results, and policy evaluations
Assessment methods
Coursework (30%)
Exam (70%)
Recommended reading
Primary readings for the course are the following:
Boeri and Van Ours, “The Economics of Imperfect Labor Markets”, Third Edition, Princeton University Press
Additional readings on specialised topics and empirical case studies are made available each week via the online learning platform.
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Sebastian Seitz | Unit coordinator |