Political Economy

Catalog description

This course examines the complex relationships between political and economic systems, exploring how markets and states shape—and are shaped by—patterns of power, wealth, and inequality. Students will analyze key questions at the intersection of politics and markets: How do political institutions affect economic outcomes? What explains variation in economic policies across countries? How do interest groups, voters, and firms influence government decision-making? Topics include the political foundations of property rights and markets, the politics of trade and globalization, the welfare state, financial regulation, economic development, and the political economy of inequality. Students will engage with canonical works in political economy alongside contemporary policy debates, developing analytical tools to understand phenomena ranging from trade wars to fiscal crises to corporate lobbying.