Comparative Political Economic Systems (Summer 2018)
This course examines how politics, economics, and society interact in the construction and functioning of market systems around the world, both in theory and in practice. We will cover classic theoretical works on political economy, along with a comparative survey of contemporary political economic systems and policy debates. Overall—in contrast to a neoclassical economist viewpoint that emphasizes the efficiencies of a ‘pure’ market system—I will emphasize the ways in which markets (economic systems) are embedded in social and political institutions and hence exhibit a great deal of variation across the world in how they are structured and the outcomes they attain. We will survey the history of industrialization, the “varieties of capitalism” in advanced industrialized countries, the issues facing newly industrializing countries, the challenges of development, the transition from communism to a market economy, and a brief snapshot of current issues in global political economy.
East Asian Political Economy (Summer 2018)
This course examines how politics, economics, and society have interacted in contemporary East Asia through the lens of the region’s extraordinary growth and development in the post-World War II period. We will begin by characterizing the “East Asian Miracle” and examining explanations for the region’s economic success—covering economic policy, international and domestic political context, and institutional, social, and cultural foundations. We will then examine different country trajectories, beginning with Japan and the four “Asian tigers” (South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong) and moving to economic achievements and challenges in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Turning to China, we will analyze the characteristics, successes, and drawbacks of its political economic transition from socialism to capitalism. From the perspective of regional financial crisis, we will interrogate the vulnerabilities, resilience, and stability of the political economies of East Asia. Finally, we will examine how evolving forces of economic regionalism and geopolitics might shape the road ahead for East Asia.
Political Economy of Development and Governance (Winter 2018)
This seminar is a survey of core issues and challenges in the political economy of development and governance. The main goal of the course is to build a multi-faceted understanding of why some nations are so poor, mis-governed, and conflict-ridden—and what could be done to help them succeed. Through several different disciplinary perspectives and through the lens of specific development and governance challenges, the course will deliver a theoretical and empirical understanding of the range of political economic experiences in the developing world. We will begin with an overview of how development economics has been approached over the past fifty years, examining both interventionist and market-based approaches to industrialization and economic growth, along with country-specific illustrations of those development strategies and their outcomes. Next, we will examine different disciplinary perspectives on development and statehood, with a particular emphasis on the challenges of constructing development-enhancing political order and institutional capacity. We will then delve more deeply into a handful of contemporary development challenges, including the natural resource curse, the roots and consequences of corruption, and the challenges of building effective and legitimate governance in fragile and conflict-affected developing countries. Finally, we will focus on new approaches to how the international community pursues development and statebuilding interventions in the developing world.
This course examines how politics, economics, and society interact in the construction and functioning of market systems around the world, both in theory and in practice. We will cover classic theoretical works on political economy, along with a comparative survey of contemporary political economic systems and policy debates. Overall—in contrast to a neoclassical economist viewpoint that emphasizes the efficiencies of a ‘pure’ market system—I will emphasize the ways in which markets (economic systems) are embedded in social and political institutions and hence exhibit a great deal of variation across the world in how they are structured and the outcomes they attain. We will survey the history of industrialization, the “varieties of capitalism” in advanced industrialized countries, the issues facing newly industrializing countries, the challenges of development, the transition from communism to a market economy, and a brief snapshot of current issues in global political economy.
East Asian Political Economy (Summer 2018)
This course examines how politics, economics, and society have interacted in contemporary East Asia through the lens of the region’s extraordinary growth and development in the post-World War II period. We will begin by characterizing the “East Asian Miracle” and examining explanations for the region’s economic success—covering economic policy, international and domestic political context, and institutional, social, and cultural foundations. We will then examine different country trajectories, beginning with Japan and the four “Asian tigers” (South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong) and moving to economic achievements and challenges in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Turning to China, we will analyze the characteristics, successes, and drawbacks of its political economic transition from socialism to capitalism. From the perspective of regional financial crisis, we will interrogate the vulnerabilities, resilience, and stability of the political economies of East Asia. Finally, we will examine how evolving forces of economic regionalism and geopolitics might shape the road ahead for East Asia.
Political Economy of Development and Governance (Winter 2018)
This seminar is a survey of core issues and challenges in the political economy of development and governance. The main goal of the course is to build a multi-faceted understanding of why some nations are so poor, mis-governed, and conflict-ridden—and what could be done to help them succeed. Through several different disciplinary perspectives and through the lens of specific development and governance challenges, the course will deliver a theoretical and empirical understanding of the range of political economic experiences in the developing world. We will begin with an overview of how development economics has been approached over the past fifty years, examining both interventionist and market-based approaches to industrialization and economic growth, along with country-specific illustrations of those development strategies and their outcomes. Next, we will examine different disciplinary perspectives on development and statehood, with a particular emphasis on the challenges of constructing development-enhancing political order and institutional capacity. We will then delve more deeply into a handful of contemporary development challenges, including the natural resource curse, the roots and consequences of corruption, and the challenges of building effective and legitimate governance in fragile and conflict-affected developing countries. Finally, we will focus on new approaches to how the international community pursues development and statebuilding interventions in the developing world.