Course objectives

The course will provide students with advanced foundations on the normative and positive analysis of the interaction between political and economic processes. At the and of the course, the students will be able to better understand the government's role over time.

Readings

Topics

  • Welfare economics
  • Determination of public policy
  • Voting behavior
  • Bureaucratic behavior
  • Government intervention
  • Government finance
  • Rent-seeking
  • Theories of regulation
  • Civil war and political order
  • Historical case studies
  • Grading

    The course grade will be a weighted average of 1) weekly quizzes based on the content of the assigned readings (20%); 2) two homework sets (30%); 3) a midterm exam (25%); and a final exam (25%).