B5860 - TOPICS IN POLITICAL ECONOMY

Learning outcomes

The course will introduce students to the field of political economics, which applies the toolbox of economic analysis to the study of politics. The course will be organized around a series of topics, starting from voting decisions, the selection and motivations of politicians, and their impact on public policy. In the second part of the course, a selection of specific themes will be alternatively addressed including political accountability, corruption; the role of mass media, patronage politics, lobbying, and organised crime. On successful completion of this module, students should be able to: a) confidently discuss and critically evaluate contributions within the field of Political Economy; b) discuss the results of empirical models and use them for policy advice; c) propose original research ideas in the field of Political Economy

Course contents

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• Having successfully completed this module, students will be able to:
• Confidently discuss papers in the field of Political Economy;
•  Critically evaluate contributions to the field of Political Economy;
•  Discuss the results of empirical models;
•  Propose original research ideas in the field of Political Economy.

 

The course will be primarily based on the reading of recent research academic papers and the in-depth discussion of their theories, empirical methods, and results.

The following books are recommended as supplements to what is covered in the lectures.

• Besley, Timothy: Principled Agents? Oxford University Press [2006] (henceforth: Besley)
• Mueller, Dennis: Public Choice III, Cambridge University Press [2005] (henceforth: Mueller)
• Persson, Torsten & Guido Tabellini: Political Economics, MIT Press [2000] (henceforth P&T)
• Shepsle, Kenneth: Analyzing Politics, Norton [2010] (henceforth Shepsle)

Teaching methods

Two lectures per week

Office hours

See the website of Nicola Mastrorocco