STV4523 – Topics in Political Economy
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
Political governance and economic transactions have been integral to human societies since their formation. Political entities can hardly be sustained without an economic basis, and economic transactions can hardly be made without a regulatory framework shaped by actors with political power. Politics and economics are as intertwined as salt and pepper, as yin and yang. This course will address the intertwined nature of (different kinds of) economic transactions and development processes and (various aspects of) politics. It will do so by drawing on perspectives and theories from both political science and economics, and by considering different kinds of empirical evidence.
The first part of the course considers different theories and perspectives of political economy and the ideational history of this vast field: Economic transactions have caught the attention of political philosophers from Aristotle to Rawls. More recently, macro-economic models have laid the foundation for public policy since Keynes wrote his General Theory in 1936. We will discuss such foundational political economy perspectives as well as more recent developments in comparative and international political economy in the first two lectures. The two next lectures deal with processes of economic and political development. More specifically, these lectures consider how political factors may influence economic development but also how economic factors shape political development, for example in the form of state building or democratization?
The final six lectures will pertain to more specific political economy topics, and these will be selected, for each iteration of the course, from a wider menu of topics. Examples of topics are the political economy of natural resources, the political economy of the environment, clientelism, technological development and repression, and inequality and political mobilization.
Learning outcome
Knowledge
- Know of different ways to define and delineate the field of political economy
- Be familiar with foundational ideas and arguments in political economy
- Know how and why political institutions and other political factors shape economic growth and other aspects of economic development
- Know how and why various economic factors influence processes of state building and democratization
- Have in-depth knowledge about the state of art in six more focused political economy topics (considered in the six last lectures of the course)
Skills
- Understand and assess theoretical arguments and different types of evidence
- Conduct systematic searches for literature and data
- Design and implement independent empirical studies
- Analyze how different research conclusions depend on different data sources and measurement, design, and other methodological choices
General competences
- Develop coherent theoretical arguments
- Analyze and critically evaluate arguments empirically and theoretically
- Investigate complex political economy questions using scientific methods
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester?register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for?in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.?Apply for guest student status?if you are admitted to another Master`s programme (deadline 1 August / 5 January).
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements and procedures.
Recommended previous knowledge
Bachelor's degree in Political Science or equivalent.
Teaching
Lectures.?
Compulsory activity:
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Attend first lecture
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Attend six of the following nine lectures
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Seminar paper
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Absence from compulsory activities:
For many courses, UiO requires participation in the form of compulsory activities. These must be approved before you can sit for the examination.
If you are ill or have another valid reason for being absent from compulsory activities, your absence may be approved or the compulsory activity may be postponed.
Report absence from or the need for a postponed deadline on a compulsory activity Absence from compulsory activities - University of Oslo (uio.no)
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Examination
4 hour examination.
You must have passed the compulsory activities in order to sit the exam.
Examination support material
Students may use dictionaries at this exam. Dictionaries must be handed in before the examination. Please read?regulations for dictionaries permitted at the examination.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English. You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F?is a fail. Read more about?the grading system.
Resit an examination
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