POLITICAL ECONOMY AND PUBLIC POLICY

This course builds on the foundational courses of Governance and Public Policy, Economics for Public Policy, and Foundational Social Science Approaches for Public Policy, in order to explore a specialised field of social science research ? political economy ? in some depth. Public policy design and implementation, whether it concerns economic growth, health, education, public security, or any other area of public interest, inevitably implies the mobilisation and utilisation of economic resources, including knowledge, manpower, and capital. Political economy approaches in general contend that the success or failure of public policies depends on political struggles, or the ability to neutralise political struggles, around these resources. However, there are a variety of different schools of political economy, each with its own view on which are the most salient types of actor, struggle and resources. In this course we will examine Marxist, neo-Weberian, and New Institutional approaches to political economy, acquiring expertise in their main analytical tools, and gaining an appreciation for their strengths and weaknesses in analysing different areas of public policy.