ECC3870 - Political economy: Institutions, order, and evidence

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Overview

This unit is an introduction to contemporary political economy, emphasising core theoretical concepts and controversies and empirical evaluation. Before political science or economics, there was political economy. This unit studies the interaction between the economy and political institutions: the formal laws, norms, conventions, and rules that shape economic activity. Special attention will be paid to canonical ideas of how these institutions impact the allocation and distribution of resources and economic development. This unit combines both theory and evidence. You will be exposed to concepts of empirical research design, comparative inquiry, and causality. Topics covered: the theory and empirics of voting; violence and political order; governance and collective action; elites and theories of the state; institutions and growth; institutional change and path dependence.

Offerings

S1-01-CLAYTON-ON-CAMPUS

Requisites

Prerequisite

Rules

Enrolment Rule

Contacts

Chief Examiner(s)

Mr Weijia Li

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you should be able to:

understand the interaction between political institutions and markets

evaluate how formal and informal institutions impact economic activity and outcomes

critically consume contemporary empirical work in political economy and related disciplines

critically assess how institutions shape the behaviour of political actors.

Teaching approach

Active learning

Assessment

1 - Within semester assessment

2 - Examination

Scheduled and non-scheduled teaching activities

Lectures

Tutorials

Workload requirements

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.