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Shirley Johnson-Lans Department of Economics, Vassar College |
Professor, Department of Economics, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York.
Fall 2006
- Economics 204, Gender Issues in Economics. An analysis of gender differences in education, earnings, employment and the division of labor within the household. Topics include a study of occupational segregation, discrimination, the role of “protective legislation” in the history of labor law, and effects of changes in the labor market of the U.S. We also study the economics of marriage, divorce, and fertility. A comparison of gender roles in other parts of the world is the final topic in the course.
- Economics 320, Labor Economics. An examination of labor markets. Topics include demand and supply for labor, a critical analysis of human capital and signaling theory, the hedonic theory of wages, theories of labor market discrimination, unemployment, and union behavior. Institutional differences between labor contracts in the U.S., the U.K., and E.U. countries and public policy with respect to such things as minimum wages, fringe benefits, unemployment insurance, and welfare reform are also addressed.
Spring 2007
- Economics 220, The Political Economy of Healthcare. Economic models are applied to the contemporary problems of financing and providing health care in a climate of increasing demand and rising costs. Topics include the market for physicians, nurses, and hospital facilities; the role of health care insurance, both public and private; the effects of changes in medical technology, the economics of the pharmaceutical industry and market structure in the health care industry. A comparative study of several other countries’ health care systems is included.
How to reach me
E-mail: sjlans@vassar.edu
Telephone: Office, 845-437-5214; FAX, 845-437-7576
Postal Mail: Box 378, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., 12604-0378
Office: Blodgett Hall, Room 128
Biographical Information
Education
- Radcliffe, B.A., magna cum laude, philosophy
- University of Edinburgh, M.A. with 1st honors, political economy (Marshall Scholar)
- Columbia University, Ph.D., economics
Past and Present Board Positions
- Vice Chairman, State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA)
- Board Member, New York State Energy, Research, and Development Authority
- President, Advisory Board, Omicron Delta Epsilon, The International Economics Honor Society
- Member, Managing Board, Partisan Review
- Steering Committee, Harvard-Radcliffe Club of the Hudson Valley
Teaching Fields
- Applied Microeconomics
- Labor Economics
- Health Economics
Current Research:
- Effects of Parents' Literacy on Educational Attainment, Age of Marriage, and Health of Daughters in Indian Villages
- The Demand for Preventive Health Care of University Educated American Women
Recent Publications and Working Papers
- A Health Economics Primer, Addison Wesley/Pearson, Boston, 2006.
- "Effects of Female Literacy in Villages in Rural Rajasthan," Vassar College Economics Department Working Paper # 76, October 2005