A Mixed Frequency BVAR for the Euro Area Labour Market*

We introduce a Bayesian mixed frequency VAR model for the aggregate euro area labour market that features a structural identification via sign restrictions. The purpose of this paper is twofold: we aim at (i) providing reliable and timely forecasts of key labour market variables and (ii) enhancing the economic interpretation of the main movements in the labour market. We find satisfactory results in terms of nowcasting and forecasting, especially for employment growth. Furthermore, we look into the shocks that drove the labour market and macroeconomic dynamics from 2002 to 2022, with an insight also on the COVID-19 recession. While demand shocks were the main drivers during the Global Financial Crisis, technology and wage bargaining factors, reflecting the degree of lockdown-related restrictions and job retention schemes, have been important drivers of key labour market variables during the pandemic. © 2023 Oxford University and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Obtaining geographical competences through online cartography of familiar and unfamiliar urban heritage: lessons from student workshops

In times of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers on all levels have had to adapt to an online or hybrid teaching environment. People in geography, a discipline that traditionally values field trips to connect theory to practice, have had to find online alternatives for educational activities that normally would have taken place in the field. This has led to several innovative practices, which, however, have only to a limited degree been purposively tested for efficacy because of the ad-hoc, enforced nature of the required changes. This project deals with this issue by studying, through student workshops dealing with the creation of online didactic walking routes in two cities, how students can obtain specific geographical competences such as interpreting different historical layers that collectively shape the current urban fabric through online cartography. We found that students reported clear improvements in geographical reasoning skills, regarding both GIS and heritage interpretation. There were no clear patterns regarding the role of familiarity with the studied city for the quality of the produced story maps. On final reflection, we argue that online cartographic exercises are a valuable addition to the geographers' educational toolkit to bounce forward to a more resilient, reflective educational practice after the pandemic.