MOOC ‚History and Economics‘ starts its second course round
Almost a year after its initial launch on the learning platform edX, “Immigration and Labour Markets in Economic History” now begins its second course round.
The question of how migration impacts existing labour markets remains relevant to modern research. A current example is the Russo-Ukrainian war which, since its beginning, has forced 3,9 million people to escape their home country.
This wave of mass migration will most certainly have relevant impacts on labour markets in the respective destination areas.
Throughout the course, empirical data is used to analyze what kinds of economical and societal effects so-called ‘Mass Migration Events’, meaning events that cause large masses of people to migrate, bring with them. The focus of the course lies on migration from, to and within Europe and North America. Some examples are the Age of Mass Migration from Europe to North America during the late 19th century, flight and expulsion after World War II or the Mariel boatlift in 1980, during which around 125.000 people migrated from Cuba to the USA.
At the University of Bayreuth’s chair for Quantitative Economic History, the combination of history and economics is researched and analyzed using quantitative methods. Within various research programmes, the effects of immigration on labour markets in destination areas, the historical reasons behind regional development gaps as well as the historical development of social mobility and integration of migrants are analysed. The chair’s research on the consequences of inflow of displaced groups to West Germany was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Braun is the head of the chair for Quantitative Economic History, and guides the MOOC as its main instructor. Before starting as a lecturer for economics at the University of Bayreuth, he researched in Copenhagen, London, and Melbourne, inter alia, on various areas of economic history. Prof. Braun’s main research includes, among others, the economic effects of immigration as well as the historical perspectives on integration of migrants. He also researches the development of social mobility during the 19th and 20th century.
Within the course, Prof. Braun shares his extensive expertise throughout six modules. Within these chapters, course participants will be able to engage with interactive videos and a mix of expert-input, built-in quizzes and mutual exchange among peers.
Anyone who would like to participate during the second course round can enroll here for free.