Labor Economics: A 21st Century Curriculum Textbook. Ministry of Education Series Textbook on Human Resource Management for the 21st Century

Author: Yang Heqing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-05-01
Features: This book is edited by Professor Yang Heqing of the School of Labor Economics at Capital University of Economics and Business. It is divided into 12 chapters, focusing on the examination and elaboration of labor demand and supply, labor markets (including internal labor markets), labor time, life cycle and labor participation decisions, wage theory, employment and unemployment, human capital investment, labor discrimination, government behavior and labor markets, and labor relations. The appendix introduces the formation and development of labor economics. This book has the following characteristics:
1. While actively absorbing the strengths of various domestic and international textbooks and maintaining a relatively stable theoretical framework, it highlights the realities of China's labor economics field and recent research findings. The data and materials used for theoretical explanations are as far as possible from China, making the content of the book as close to China's actual situation as possible.
2. It pays attention to reflecting new theories and perspectives that have become relatively mature in foreign countries. When using foreign materials, it not only selects data from the United States but also focuses on exploring distinctive materials from Japan and other countries.
3. It not only introduces theories, analytical tools, and methods but also combines them with practical issues and various labor-related concerns of readers.
4. In terms of chapter arrangement, this book specifically adds two chapters: "Labor Time" and "The Formation and Development of Labor Economics." Labor time is a fundamental factor in labor input and is directly linked to labor supply and demand. However, past labor economics textbooks have paid little attention to labor time, and even when it was discussed, it rarely involved quantitative analysis. This book comprehensively and systematically discusses the issue of labor time through qualitative and quantitative analysis. In the appendix "The Formation and Development of Labor Economics," it not only introduces the evolution of labor economics but also specifically introduces the development of the labor economics major in China. Additionally, the internal labor market, which is of great significance to corporate human resource management, is also a key focus of discussion in this book.
5. This book takes "Labor Demand" as the starting point for its discussion, whereas most general labor economics textbooks begin with "Labor Supply." Undoubtedly, labor demand and supply behaviors are interrelated and mutually influential. In the long term, labor supply determines a country's overall productivity and corporate competitiveness, playing a significant role in social and economic development. However, in the short term, in the context of economic fluctuations and market changes, as well as in aspects such as employment systems, labor demanders like companies are often in a position of initiative, while labor suppliers are in a passive position. Based on this understanding, this book first examines labor demand. This book is suitable for undergraduate and graduate students majoring in economics and management.