Credits:3 pts.
Instructor permission required before registration. This seminar provides an introduction to the main theories of comparative political economy. The survey of these theories is organized as a progression from micro- to macro-level explanations. We begin by examining the sources of political cleavages over various economic policies and the formation of political coalitions. Next, we explore a range of theories positing that differences in the organization of interest groups lead to systematic differences in economic outcomes. We examine how comparativists have studied the problem of state capture by interest groups and its economic and political consequences. In the second part of the course, we apply these theoretical building blocks to a variety of issue areas, including financial development, taxation, the development of social spending and political responses to unemployment.
