Master's Degree in Economics and Finance

Master's Degree in Specialized Economic Analysis

Master's Degree in Data Science

Admissions

Career Services

Alumni Community

Economics Program

Financial Economics Program

PhD Economics Track Program

Go to Master's degrees

Close

Frontiers in Applied Economics

Non-wage Amenities in the Labor Market

Understanding how non-wage job amenities shape worker preferences, compensation and labour market inequality.

10h (5 days)

€1,260

Face-to-face

English

Next edition: July 5-9, 2027

Early Bird deadline: April 15, 2027

Learn more

Frontiers in Applied Economics

Non-wage Amenities in the Labor Market

Complete your details and we'll keep you informed about the next edition

First Name*

Last Name*

Email Address*

Message

I give my consent to be contacted by BSE with information about related academic offers in the future.

Who is this Course for?

Frontiers in Applied Economics

Non-wage Amenities in the Labor Market

Course overview

What makes a job attractive beyond its wage? This course examines how workers value flexibility, remote work, job security and other working conditions, and how firms choose which amenities to offer.

The course connects the theory of compensating differentials with recent evidence from experiments, structural models, surveys and job mobility. These tools help explain inequality and inform occupational choices, including whether to pursue public employment, private employment or self-employment.

Participants will learn to assess evidence on job quality and worker preferences, with applications to labor market research, compensation and benefit design, and the evaluation of workplace policies. For public policy, these tools can inform labor standards and employment services, helping build adaptable systems that foster better job pathways for workers and firms.

By combining state-of-the-art empirical methods with economic theory, the course offers a framework for understanding how non-wage job characteristics influence labour market outcomes and how employers and policymakers can use this evidence to improve job quality and employment opportunities.

Faculty

Who is this course for?

The course may be of interest to:

Master’s and PhD students in economics interested in labor markets and applied microeconomics
Academic and policy researchers working on job quality, worker preferences, or inequality
Professionals with economics training who analyze human resource practices, including compensation, flexible work, and workplace policies

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

Design surveys and choice experiments to measure how workers value job attributes
Inform benefit and job design by weighing worker preferences, wage trade-offs, and employer costs
Evaluate public policies affecting job quality, worker mobility and firms’ provision of amenities
Apply modern empirical methods to value amenities, assess identifying assumptions and interpret evidence

Key topics for Non-wage Amenities course

Here is an outline of the topics that will be discussed during the course.

Session 1

Compensating differentials
The Rosen model
Worker sorting and firms’ costs of providing amenities
What equilibrium wage – amenity relationships reveal about preferences, and why estimating them is difficult

Session 2

Evidence from wages and working conditions
Cross-sectional and panel estimates, matched employer–employee data, and quasi-experiments
Selection, unobserved productivity, and measurement error, with applications to workplace risk and work hours

Session 3

Measuring worker preferences directly
Stated-preference surveys and experiments with real job applicants
Willingness to pay for remote work and scheduling flexibility, preference heterogeneity, and validation against actual choices

Session 4

Amenities in frictional labor markets
Search, imperfect competition, and rent sharing
Using job-to-job moves and job offers to infer job values and the assumptions needed to interpret revealed preferences

Session 5

Inequality, welfare, and policy
How amenities change measures of compensation and gender gaps
Firms’ provision of amenities, equilibrium responses to workplace policies, and open research questions

Call for Papers

Participants can present their work and receive feedback from course professors during lunchtime workshops held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays each week of the program.

To submit a paper, email summerschool@bse.eu with “Frontiers of Applied Economics call for papers” in the subject line by June 14. We will announce the presentation schedule once paper selection is complete.

Participants who present their work will receive an additional certificate at the end of the Summer School.

List of References

See below for a list of selected readings; individual lectures will draw on additional papers.

Articles

Rosen, S. (1986). “The Theory of Equalizing Differences.” Handbook of Labor Economics, vol. 1, 641–692.
Mas, A. (2025). “Non-Wage Amenities.” Handbook of Labor Economics, vol. 6, 373–446.
Mas, A., and A. Pallais (2017). “Valuing Alternative Work Arrangements.” American Economic Review, 107(12), 3722–3759.
Maestas, N., K. J. Mullen, D. Powell, T. von Wachter, and J. B. Wenger (2023). “The Value of Working Conditions in the United States and the Implications for the Structure of Wages.” American Economic Review, 113(7), 2007–2047.
Hwang, H., D. T. Mortensen, and W. R. Reed (1998). “Hedonic Wages and Labor Market Search.” Journal of Labor Economics, 16(4), 815–847.
Sorkin, I. (2018). “Ranking Firms Using Revealed Preference.” Quarterly Journal of Economics, 133(3), 1331–1393.

Why join our Summer School?

All BSE Summer courses are taught to the same high standard as our Master’s programs. Join us to:

1

Network with like-minded peers

2

Study in vibrant Barcelona

3

Learn from world-renowned faculty

Admissions and Requirements

Please make sure you are eligible to apply before submitting your application.

Next edition: July 5-9, 2027

Early Bird deadline: April 15, 2027

Requirements

A strong background in Economics or a field closely related to the course topic (Statistics, Law, etc.)
Postgraduate degree or current Master’s/PhD studies related to the course topic
Relevant professional experience

Admissions Requirements for Non-wage Amenities in the Labor Market

Prior coursework in microeconomics and econometrics, including regression analysis. Familiarity with labor economics is helpful but not required

Schedule

Here is your schedule for this edition of the BSE Frontiers in Applied Economics, Non-wage Amenities in the Labor Market course.

Time

5

mon

6

tue

7

wed

8

thu

9

fri

15:00-17:00

Lecture

13:45-14:45

Paper Presentations*

* These sessions only take place if enough papers are submitted.

Credit Transfers (ECTs)

To be eligible for credit transfer, students must complete a final project.

The courses coming from Labor Economics are 10 hours (5 days), 1 ECTS.

To be eligible for credit transfer, students must complete a final project.

Participants requesting ECTs credit will submit a short critical essay (around 3-4 pages, 1.5-spaced, font size 11) on a paper discussed in the course, due one week after the course ends. The essay should summarize the research question and findings, assess the methodology, and discuss one implication for research or policy. Assessment will emphasize understanding and clear reasoning; no original data analysis is required.

Consult the Summer School Admissions page for more information about this option.

Certificate of Attendance

Participants who attend more than 80% of the course will receive a Certificate of Attendance, free of charge.

Course

Non-wage Amenities in the Labor Market

Climate Change Economics: Theory and Empirics

Economics of Migration

Gender Economics

Political Economy

Social Insurance: From Causal Evidence to Policy Design

Modality

Face-to-face

Total Hours

10

17.5

10

ECTS

1

Regular Fee

€1,260

€1,470

€1,260

Reduced Fee*

€740

€840

€740

* Reduced Fee applies for PhD or Master’s students, Alumni of BSE Master’s programs, and participants who are unemployed.

Multiple discounts are available.

For more information on discounts for participants funding their own course, please click here.

For more information on discounts for companies and institutions enrolling their employees, please click here.

Full discount conditions are available here.

FAQ

Still have questions? Check out our FAQ section.

Can I see the full Summer School calendar?

You can view the full Summer School calendar here.

Is accommodation included in the course fee?

Unfortunately, accommodation is not included in the course fee. Participants are responsible for finding accommodation.

Are the sessions recorded?

Sessions will NOT be recorded; However, the materials provided by the professor will be available for a month after the course has finished.

How much does each Summer School course cost?

Fees for each course may vary. Please consult each course page for accurate information.

Are there any discounts available?

Yes, BSE offers a variety of discounts on its Summer School courses. See more information about available discounts or request a personalized discount quote by email.

Can I take more than one course?

Yes! you can combine any of the Summer School courses (schedule permitting). See the full course calendar.

Cancelation and Refund Policy

Please consult BSE Summer School policies for more information.

Are there any evening activities during the course?

Yes, a social dinner is held once a week for all participants, and it is free to attend.

Contact our Admissions Team

Mix and match your summer courses!

Remember that you can combine this program with courses in any of the other BSE Summer School programs (schedule permitting). Maximise your learning this summer and take advantage of our multiple-course discount.

Founding Institutions

Distinctions

Quality Transparency Legal Cookie Policy Contact Us Site map