Introductory description

Political Economy is about who gets what, when, and how – it is about the choices people make that affect the distribution of gains and losses, and about the societal and political conflicts and incentives surrounding them.

This means that the module is concerned with the relations between politics, economy, and society at different levels. It considers important topics from the perspectives of both economics and political science as academic disciplines, as well as an integration of these disciplines for a multi- and interdisciplinary approach. For example, we could explore how voters and parties behave, and whether or how their behaviour may affect the demand for or provision of policies which reduce inequality - one of the defining challenges of the 21st century.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Please note that this syllabus may change - the below is an overview of the module in the 24/25 academic year.

We will study four specific areas where political science and economics perspectives overlap.

1. Voting and party behaviour. We will study why voters and parties behave the way they do. For example, do voters' make rational choices on which party programme is closest to their interests? Similarly, do parties set their programmes in line with what they think will get them elected, or are there other forces at play? Why may mainstream parties take up far-right positions, and is this strategy electorally successful?

2. Inequality and Redistribution. We will study how people perceive inequality and what makes them demand for more redistributive policy. For example, how does the expectation of future higher earnings affect people's position on tax policy? What role do cultural beliefs such as meritocracy play? We will also study when and why governments respond to demands for more redistribution. For example, do they want to satisfy the 'average' voter or cater only to elites? What biases may policymakers have when designing redistributive policies?

3. Public Goods. In this section, we will study who is best placed to ensure the provision of public goods. Should these be ensured by the government, or are private companies much better placed? What is the role of local self-organisation? We will also look at cases of inequality in public goods provision and why they may arise.

4. Interest Groups. In this section, we complicate our basic assumptions of who makes decisions in democratic systems. While previously the focus was on voters, parties, and governments, interest groups have been influential in some important policy sectors. Is this a threat to democracy, or, instead, a democratic process? How can we determine whether an interest group has been influential given their multitudinous - and often opaque - interactions with the policy process?

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Develop a broad understanding of the impacts of the differing perspectives of economics and politics as academic disciplines.
• Understand the strengths and weaknesses of each disciplinary approach, and when they can be complementary.

Indicative reading list

The reading list will be finalised closer to the first lecture. Please see Talis Aspire for previous iterations.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Interdisciplinary

Co-taught by Politics and Economics for PPE students only.

Subject specific skills

A solid knowledge and understanding of:
(i) Political Science: Knowledge and understanding of relevant theoretical approaches and techniques in political science and political science research with application to contemporary problems arising in public policy.
(ii) Applied Economics: Knowledge and understanding of standard economic models and techniques with application to contemporary problems arising in public policy.
(iii) Research issues: Familiarity with contemporary debates and latest research in some specialised areas of PPE. Evaluate how to approach a problem from the perspective of a contemporary researcher with a PPE background.
(iv) Interdisciplinarity: Familiarity with the concept and challenges of interdisciplinarity and how to integrate disciplinary research perspectives.

Transferable skills

(i) Critical Thinking
(ii) Information Literacy
(iii) Communication
(iv) Problem Solving
(v) Time Management

This module counts towards your Warwick Award.