Topics in Political Economy

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Identify, select and draw upon a range of sources of printed, electronic and other material as a means to the development and presentation of arguments and evidence.
• Communicate ideas and arguments in a variety of formats
• Develop reasoned argument, synthesise relevant information and exercise critical judgement
• Identify, investigate, analyse and advocate solutions to problems
• Work independently demonstrating initiative, self-organisation and time-management

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Analytical methods in political economy
• Different interpretations of political issues and events.
• Central concepts and arguments in both microeconomics and macroeconomics related to political economy
• Political institutions, and the organisation and exercise of power and governance.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Identify issues for political and economic inquiry.
• Gather, organise and deploy political and economic evidence, data and information from a variety of sources.
• Address specific questions of interest in political economy, including the analysis of economic policy, applying adequate analytical methods.

This module will use tools from economics, political science, and moral philosophy to analyse a set of substantive issues in political economy. Students will first study theoretical foundations to perform both positive and normative analysis. The remaining lectures will cover a set of applications of political economy. For some of these applications, a policy issue will be discussed on “deliberative seminars” inspired by citizens’ assemblies, in which students will analyse and deliberate about a specific policy and will experience different types of democratic processes and voting systems.

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures and seminars. The incorporation of “deliberative seminars” is innovative and provides "hands-on" training to students in a way that complements the instruction of theoretical notions. These seminars are tailored to develop students’ critical & analytical skills as well as their communication & argumentation abilities.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

J. Hindriks, and G. Myles (2013). Intermediate Public Economics. MIT Press.

D. Hausman, M. McPherson, and D. Satz (2016). Economic Analysis, Moral Philosophy, and Public Policy. Cambridge University Press.

T. Persson, and G. Tabellini (2016). Political Economics. MIT Press.

Assessment strategy

Assessment is through successful seminar participation (worth 10% of the final mark in total), two coursework assignments during the semester (20% in total), and a final written essay-based exam (70%). This is supported by continuous formative assessment in form of exercises. This is the same for internal repeat. External repeat and referral are through 100% final written essay-based examination.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External