Political Economy.

Catalog description

This course introduces students to rational choice theory and applies it to the study of elections. The course starts with an analysis of group choice; how small and large groups make decisions and how different voting mechanisms aggregate individual preferences. The rigorous tools learned in the first half of the course are then used to analyze election behavior of political agents; namely voters, political candidates, and interest groups. Voter turnout, political polarization, campaign finance, and presidential elections are among the topics discussed. Prerequisites: ECON 051 or ECON 053 .