Upper-Level Courses That Cross-Subfields

This course focuses on the political economy of resource-rich countries. Drawing on cases from the Middle East, Latin America and the post-communist region, we will critically examine the intersection between states and markets, and the interlinked challenges of political and economic development. The class will introduce students to the major theoretical frameworks used by political scientists, economists, and sociologists to understand the role of the so-called "rentier state" in the economy, and how the presence of natural resource wealth (e.g. oil, gas) affects the relationship between the public and the private sectors. We will begin by investigating how states endowed with natural resources impact economic growth and business development. What is the "resource curse" and how does it affect both governments and business? Does resource abundance, perhaps counter-intuitively, pose an obstacle to both economic and political transformations? We will then address how socio-political factors influence economic outcomes, and how economic factors, in turn, shape political outcomes.  Does oil prop up illiberal regimes? Do economic crises spur political reforms? Through readings and discussion we will delve into such seminal questions, and consider a range of issues relevant to understanding contemporary economic and political events in key regions of the global economy.

We use the term government and "commonwealth" interchangeably because we expect government to advance the actions of free people creating wealth—not just rich and propertied people, but all who benefit from economic development. As Adam Smith put it, it is the responsibility of the "sovereign" to "facilitate commerce-in-general."  This course will trace the career of this assumption back to its originators. It will begin with the evolution of market relations from the peculiar history of seventeenth-century Britain. It will then look at the succession of thinkers who, having embraced the novel scientific methods of the day, sought to understand economic affairs as themselves governed by scientific laws; and who then sought to ground the legitimacy of commonwealths in laws, regulations and interventions that engendered wealth. One goal of the course is to familiarize students with foundational thinkers who gave us the discipline of economics: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Smith, Ricardo, Marx, Mill, and Spencer. But the final goal is to consider how foundational ideas have shaped political economic debates in America for the past hundred years: Keynes, Von Hayek, and Schumpeter. Dist: SOC.

We consider arguments for and against federalism and the territorial decentralization of power, taking into account economic, security, and sociocultural aspects. Some scholars argue that federalism can provide a ‘credible commitment’ to market incentives, boosting economic growth. Others claim that decentralization can prevent or settle ethnic and secessionist conflicts. Still others provide a skeptical case against these alleged benefits. We will pay careful attention to the different forms and dimensions of decentralization around the world.  Dist. INT or SOC; World Cult. W.

After 1945, "political settlements" in the industrial democracies involved the construction of welfare states. Governments used policy instruments to promote full employment and to guarantee to all citizens a certain standard of housing, health care, education, and financial security. Since the 1970s, the democratic welfare state in its varied forms has come under sustained challenge- from diverse quarters. Why? What arguments have been used against it? What alternatives have been proposed? Does the challenge herald a new type of state and a new type of politics--perhaps even a new understanding of "democracy"? To explore these questions, we will look both at theoretical texts justifying or criticizing the welfare state and at empirical cases, comparing politics and policy in democratic welfare states such as the United States, Britain, France, and Germany. Prerequisite: Government 3 or 4. Dist: SOC or INT.

This course provides an introduction to the newly industrializing countries (NICs) of East Asia: Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The course examines two major questions: First, why did these countries grow so rapidly during certain stages of their economic development? Second, what were the political foundations that provided the basis for their respective development paths? Topics to be covered include alternative explanations for the economic development experience of these countries, the politics of economic policy-making, the role of specific policies in the process of industrialization, historical influences on economic growth, and the impact that growth has had on the process of democratization. Prerequisite: Government 4 or by permission of the instructor. Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW.

Countries in developing regions of the world face a number of unique challenges within a globalized economy as their financial and trade links become ever closely intertwined with those of powerful, developed countries that dominate international economic institutions.  Drawing on a wide range of case studies, this course investigates some of these new developments in the world economy.  What strategies can developing countries adapt in order to develop most efficiently in a global market-oriented economy?  How can a country maximize its chances for economic success, and what precisely is the role of international financial and trade institutions in their development?  Readings in this course range from theoretical academic writings on development strategies to policy pieces written by local practitioners and by those working for international financial and trade institutions.  Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. 

This course examines the problem of how politicians and policies are selected by citizens.  Politicians fight tenaciously to shape the rules under which they compete because how elections are conducted has enormous impact on what sorts of choices voters are offered, what sorts of coalitions politicians form, and whose interests get represented.  This course investigates what rules matter, and why.  It draws from a broad array of cases to illustrate the most important issues at stake in current electoral reforms around the world, and here in the United States.  Dist: SOC.