Time Schedule:
Sebastien G. Lazardeux
POL S 474
Seattle Campus
Interaction between politics and the economy. Impact of policy makers on economic performance. Models of partisan and political business cycles. Concepts of economic voting. Marxist theories of modern capitalist economics.
Class description
The recent global financial and economic crisis has profoundly questioned our understanding of the complex relationship between government and the economy. If policymakers in industrialized nations have developed new mechanisms to regulate the economy, to what extent are these regulatory policies efficient? More generally, to what extent can governments influence economic policy and be agents of economic growth? This course first examines this question by discussing the effect of government on economic policymaking. The discussion draws from examples in industrialized countries as well as developing nations. The second part of the course is devoted to the reverse interaction between government and the economy. We will particularly analyze the impact of economic conditions on citizens’ political choices, from their level of civic participation to their partisan preferences. This part of the course concentrates mainly on the American political system. Knowledge of basic economics concepts and prior introductory coursework in Political Economy is useful but not required.
Student learning goals
Development of writing and analytical skills
Knowledge of major concepts in political economy (economic voting, political business cycles, transaction costs, etc)
General method of instruction
Lecture and discussion
Recommended preparation
Background in political economy and macropeconomy is useful but nor required
Class assignments and grading
Midterm and final exam including short questions and answers and an essay question. Book review or Research proposal
Midterm exam (25%) and final exam (30%), research paper/book review (35%) and participation (10%).
