Comparative Political Economy

Course Code: PUBLG101

Course Tutor: Dr Jan-Emmanuel De Neve (Department of Political Science)

Assessment: One 3,000 word essay

Credit Value: 15 credits

About this course

This course is designed to introduce students to the study of Comparative Political Economy (CPE). The course surveys topics and theories on the interplay of politics and economics across the advanced democracies. The goal of this course is twofold: (1) to gain a sense of the differences in economic policy and performance across countries and (2) to better understand the sources and consequences of this variation. The following topics central to understanding CPE will receive special attention: electoral and economic institutions, redistribution and the welfare state, political cleavages and behaviour, and varieties of capitalism.

By the end of the course, students will have a better knowledge of the comparative political economy of the advanced democracies. Students will also have been taught a number of analytical approaches and concepts that will aid in their understanding of the interplay between economics and politics in a comparative setting.