University of Essex

GV347-6-SP-CO:
Political Economy II

The details

Year: 2024/25

Department: Government

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Spring

Level: Undergraduate: Level 6

Status: Current

Start date: Monday 13 January 2025

End date: Friday 21 March 2025

Credits: 15

Last updated: 24 April 2024

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: (none)

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: EC831

Key module (requisite for): (none)

Key module for

BSC LL14 Economics and Politics (Including Foundation Year),
BSC LL2F Economics and Politics,
BSC LL3F Economics and Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BSC LL4F Economics and Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA L900 International Development,
BA L901 International Development (Including Year Abroad),
BA L902 International Development (Including Placement Year),
BA L921 International Development (Including Foundation Year),
BA L212 Global Politics,
BA L213 Global Politics (including Placement Year),
BA L214 Global Politics (including Year Abroad)

Module description

This module is about modern political economy, meaning analytical approaches to study how economic and political incentives interact to create constraints and opportunities that shape larger political and economic behaviour and outcomes. The module introduces students to the use of rigorous logic and evidence in order to understand key political economy issues as well as to address contemporary policy issues. Substantively, this module will focus on political economy models of democratic politics. Some of the topics that will be covered include: electoral politics, representation and accountability, bureaucratic politics, distributive politics, and public good provision.

This module requires knowledge of essay writing in political science. Students are assumed to have some familiarity with elementary mathematical concepts (e.g., sets, functions, algebra, basic probability theory). The module does not require knowledge of calculus.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:

To introduce the students to key political economy models and their application to the study of democratic politics.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the term, students will:

Understand how some tools commonly used in economic analysis, such as game theory, are used to study political phenomena.

Solve formal political economy models of democratic politics, with a focus on electoral competition, delegation, and accountability.

Develop their capacity to evaluate theoretical arguments and to analyze policy issues using methods and approaches from political economy.

Be aware of cutting edge methods used in political economy research.

Module information

No additional information available.

Learning and teaching methods

The module will be delivered via:

Two hour weekly seminar.

Bibliography

Shepsle, K.A. (2010c) Analyzing politics: rationality, behavior, and institutions. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/1129707.
Dewan, T. and Shepsle, K.A. (2011) ‘Political Economy Models of Elections’, Annual Review of Political Science, 14(1), pp. 311–330. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.12.042507.094704.
Kurrild-Klitgaard, P. (2018) ‘Trump, Condorcet and Borda: Voting paradoxes in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries’, European Journal of Political Economy, 55, pp. 29–35. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2017.10.003.
Gerber, E.R. and Morton, R.B. (1998) ‘Primary Election Systems and Representation’, Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, 14(2), pp. 304–324. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/jleo/14.2.304.
Miller, G.J. (2005) ‘THE POLITICAL EVOLUTION OF PRINCIPAL-AGENT MODELS’, Annual Review of Political Science, 8(1), pp. 203–225. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.8.082103.104840.
Brollo, F. et al. (2013) ‘The Political Resource Curse’, American Economic Review, 103(5), pp. 1759–1796. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.103.5.1759.
Gagliarducci, S. and Nannicini, T. (2013) ‘DO BETTER PAID POLITICIANS PERFORM BETTER? DISENTANGLING INCENTIVES FROM SELECTION’, Journal of the European Economic Association, 11(2), pp. 369–398. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24538797.
MOTOLINIA, L. (2021) ‘Electoral Accountability and Particularistic Legislation: Evidence from an Electoral Reform in Mexico’, American Political Science Review, 115(1), pp. 97–113. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055420000672.
Kim, W. (2021) ‘Presidents and the Conditional Core-Swing Targeting of the National Subsidy in South Korea, 1989–2018’, Journal of East Asian Studies, 21(3), pp. 477–497. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/jea.2021.22.
Ejdemyr, S., Kramon, E. and Robinson, A.L. (2018) ‘Segregation, Ethnic Favoritism, and the Strategic Targeting of Local Public Goods’, Comparative Political Studies, 51(9), pp. 1111–1143. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414017730079.
Veiga, L.G. and Veiga, F.J. (2007) ‘Political business cycles at the municipal level’, Public Choice, 131(1–2), pp. 45–64. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-006-9104-2.
Eggers, A.C. (2014) ‘Partisanship and Electoral Accountability: Evidence from the UK Expenses Scandal’, Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 9(4), pp. 441–472. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1561/100.00013140.
Tilley, J. and Hobolt, S.B. (2011) ‘Is the Government to Blame? An Experimental Test of How Partisanship Shapes Perceptions of Performance and Responsibility’, The Journal of Politics, 73(2), pp. 316–330. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022381611000168.
Martin, L. and Raffler, P.J. (2021) ‘Fault Lines: The Effects of Bureaucratic Power on Electoral Accountability’, American Journal of Political Science, 65(1), pp. 210–224. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12530.
Mares, I. and Young, L.E. (2018) ‘The Core Voter’s Curse: Clientelistic Threats and Promises in Hungarian Elections’, Comparative Political Studies, 51(11), pp. 1441–1471. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414018758754.
Oliveros, V. (2021) ‘Working for the Machine: Patronage Jobs and Political Services in Argentina’, Comparative Politics, 53(3), pp. 381–427. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5129/001041521X15974977783469.
Brierley, S. (2020) ‘Unprincipled Principals: Co-opted Bureaucrats and Corruption in Ghana’, American Journal of Political Science, 64(2), pp. 209–222. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12495.
Finnegan, J.J. (2023) ‘Changing Prices in a Changing Climate: Electoral Competition and Fossil Fuel Taxation’, Comparative Political Studies, 56(8), pp. 1257–1290. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/00104140221141853.
Pulejo, M. and Querubín, P. (2021) ‘Electoral concerns reduce restrictive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic’, Journal of Public Economics, 198. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2021.104387.
Akhtari, M., Moreira, D. and Trucco, L. (2022) ‘Political Turnover, Bureaucratic Turnover, and the Quality of Public Services’, American Economic Review, 112(2), pp. 442–493. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20171867.

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam	Description	Deadline	Coursework weighting
Coursework	Assignment 1	19/02/2025	33%
Coursework	Assignment 2	12/03/2025	33%
Coursework	Assignment 3	02/04/2025	34%

Exam format definitions

Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Reassessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Module supervisor and teaching staff

Supervisor: Dr Sergio Ascencio, email: sergio.ascencio@essex.ac.uk.

Teaching staff: Dr Sergio Ascencio

Contact details: Please contact govquery@essex.ac.uk

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: No

Available to Outside Option: No

Available to Audit: No

External examiner

Name: Dr Stefano Pagliari

Institution: City, University of London

Academic role: Senior Lecturer in International Politics

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording: No lecture recording information available for this module.

Further information

Department website: Government

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Module Directory

GV347-6-SP-CO:Political Economy II