Course objectives & learning outcomes

After completing this course, students will be able to:

1. Analyze political and social problems using the political economy framework, emphasizing the interdependence of political and economic factors.
2. Demonstrate how major historical developments in global political economy and political-economic thought underpin contemporary economic and political institutions.
3. Apply rational-choice logic to explain and predict individual and collective decisions in political and economic contexts.
4. Classify and compare major theoretical traditions in political economy and relate contemporary viewpoints or debates to these traditions.
5. Evaluate the role of the state in managing the economy and assess the likely effects of specific government interventions on economic and political outcomes.
6. Articulate and defend a reasoned position on central debates in political economy, drawing on relevant theoretical traditions and empirical evidence.

Course content

The position of Political Economy (PE) within the Political Science programme is twofold. First, PE is the component of the discipline that studies government policy in relation to 'the economy', including delegated policy that is formed or implemented by supranational or international organisations such as the European Union or the World Trade Organisation. Secondly, PE can be understood as a cluster of theories about society and the political processes within it. Characteristic of these theories is that politics and economic power (having tangible and intangible assets) are inextricably linked. The politics and economic system of a society do not just influence each other; they are two sides of the same social order.

The list of examples that illustrate this relationship is long. For instance, democracy and trade have often grown alongside each other. In democracies, it has long been believed that voting behaviour is determined by material interests. Lobbyists from major companies, unions and other interest groups invest significant amounts of money and time attempting to influence government policy to their own advantage. European integration is driven by the perceived economic advantages of the European internal market. Shifts in power between major political players on the world stage, such as China and the US, are largely based on changing economic positions. Economic incentives both play a role in driving the climate crisis and shape how we can design solutions to this crisis.

In short: politics shapes the economy and the economy shapes politics. This insight plays a central role in PE: you can't understand one without the other.

Classic political thinkers recognised the link between the economy and politics. The idea that you could study the economy outside of a historical political framework only came into being at the end of the 19th century. Before this, neither political science nor economics existed - Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Karl Marx were practitioners of what they themselves called political economy. In the decades before the First World War, separate social science disciplines such as economics, political science, and sociology were developed. However, many figureheads of these disciplines – Weber, Carr, Veblen, Keynes and Schumpeter – clearly follow in the tradition of their classical predecessors.

There are five elements to this course: (1) the history of political economic thought and of modern capitalism as the dominant (but not the only) organisational form of economic activity, (2) the institutional foundations of capitalism and the relationship between democracy and capitalism (3) how the interplay between political institutions and economic rationality effect political behavior, economic outcomes, and economic organisation (4) examination of the global economic order (and recent backlash), and (5) examination of current policy challenges viewed from a political economy lens.

Teaching methods / learning formats

This course is lecture-based, with some topics also covered in 'Academic Skills for Political Scientists.' The lectures give an introduction and further explanation of the course material and readings, as well as further elaboration and application of those readings. There are two lectures per week (exceptions may apply). Students are expected to come well prepared to the lectures. This means that at least you have done all the reading for that lecture and reflected upon the readings. Reading after the lecture is strongly discouraged!

Students are strongly advised to actively participate and keep up with the readings. Every week there is a substantial reading requirement—do prepare well for this! The setup of the course is such that it is difficult to catch up once you fall behind.

Part of the lectures will be Q&A sessions. To generate your questions, we will use the Perusall tool. You will read the literature in Perusall and ask questions in this tool. You can also interact with other students, and upvote or downvote comments and answers.

Manner & form of assessment

All students are awarded a grade based on three forms of assessment: (1) engagement with course reading materials and other students via Perusall; (2) a midterm exam covering material presented prior to the midterm (held at the exam location, more info at rooster.uva.nl); and (3) a final exam covering all material (held at the exam location, more info at rooster.uva.nl). The midterm and final exam may include any content that has been covered in the required readings and the lectures. The weights of the assessments for the final grade are listed below. There will be a single resit covering both the midterm and final exams.

In order to pass the course, the weighted average grade of the midterm and final exam must be a pass. In other words, you cannot compensate for inadequate exam scores with a high Perusall grade.

Examination scheme

Inspection of exams / assignments, feedback

For the midterm and final exams, students will be able to review their answers and the assessment thereof. The date for this review will be announced on Rooster.

No feedback is given for written exams, apart from a break-down of points for question components.

Rules regarding fraud and plagiarism

The provisions of the Regulations Governing Fraud and Plagiarism for UvA Students and use of AI apply in full. Access these regulation at student.uva.nl/plagiarism-and-fraud and student.uva.nl/ai-tools-and-your-studies.

Plagiarism can take many forms, including (but not limited to!):

• Making use of or reproducing another person's texts, data or ideas without complete and correct acknowledgement of the sources.
• Presenting the structure or central body of ideas taken from third-party sources as one's own work or ideas, even if a reference to other authors is included.
• Submitting a text that has previously been submitted or is similar to a text that has previously been submitted, in the context of assignments for other courses.
• Reproducing the work of fellow students and passing it off as one's own.
• Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to produce new text that is submitted by students as part of an assignment. This includes reading comments on Perusall.

If you have not read these regulations before, please do so! Note that plagiarism is very serious. In case of alleged plagiarism and/or fraud the teachers will inform the examination committee immediately. In general: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

Literature / materials

All literature is available through Canvas, or available as a download from the journal website. For direct downloadable articles, the detailed session outline below gives you hyperlinks. You may have to log in through the university network to gain access, either on campus location or through VPN. Other texts will be made available through Canvas.

Readings marked with  ★  indicate that the author is a recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

Personal safety, security & inclusivity