GRA 5916 Core Concepts in Political Economy
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APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2012/2013
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GRA 5916 Core Concepts in Political Economy Responsible for the course Nick Sitter Department Department of Accounting - Auditing and Law Term According to study plan ECTS Credits 6 Language of instruction English Introduction This is the introductory political economy course. It is designed for students taking the MSc in Political Economy, or a 'minor' in Political Economy. The focus is on the fundamental core concepts in political economy. The central themes include political institutions and decision making. Learning outcome This course provides an introduction to the concepts at the core of political economy in general, in terms of institutions and policy making as well as with respect to both national and international political economy. It is designed to introduce the students to the core concepts in the study of political economy and set the scene for the specialisation courses in the MSc in Political Economy programme. Students will explore problems of democratic decision making, including questions of equality and efficiency. Core questions include institutional design and the delegation of power, how citizen input is translated into policy, as well as different mechanisms for citizen control and public choice analyses of the growth of state spending. Prerequisites A Bachelor's degree qualifying for admission to the MSc programme. Compulsory reading Books: Lijphart, Arend. 1999. Patterns of democracy : government forms and performance in thirty-six countries. Yale University Press Shepsle, Kenneth A. 2010. Analyzing politics : rationality, behavior, and institutions. 2nd ed. W.W. Norton Collection of articles: Compendium of Journal Articles Other: A list of compulsory readings will be provided on It's learning or in class. During the course there may be hand-outs and other material on additional topics relevant for the course and the examination. Recommended reading Books: Mueller, Dennis C. 2003. Public choice III. Rev. and expanded ed. of Public choice II. Cambridge University Press. Selected chapters Course outline 1. Introduction to political economy 2. International political economy and supranational governance 3. Public and private goods, and public policy 4. Decision making and public choice analysis Computer-based tools It's learning Learning process and workload A course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of 160-180 hours. Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/It's learning or text book. |