New Master’s Program in Analytical Political Economy to Begin Fall 2016
08 October 2015 12:01PM
The Departments of Economics and Political Science have received approval from Duke University’s Board of Trustees to offer a new joint master’s degree program in analytical political economy (MAPE), and applications are now being accepted for the 2016-2017 academic year.
MAPE represents an interdisciplinary field of growing scholarly interest in which students will gain modeling skills in game theory, formal economics, and political science. Courses in both sponsoring departments are deeply rooted in theory and often are based upon foundations of econometric modeling.
This program meets a growing need for scholars with skills in an area where the two disciplines overlap. For the Department of Economics, MAPE is designed to attract master’s students who are also interested in earning a Ph.D. degree in political science, while students with a strong political science background will get an opportunity to improve their knowledge of economics, mathematics, and statistics.
“To understand what economic policies actually will be implemented, you have to understand political motives; to understand the impacts of policy, you have to understand economics,” explained Department of Economics Associate Chair and MAPE Co-Director Charles Becker, who teaches a master’s-level course on advanced microeconomic theory.
As the creator of Duke Economics’ three joint master’s programs, Becker has honed his ability to bridge gaps between disciplines and connect people with common research interests.
“Economics and political science come together in a logical way. The idea for MAPE developed organically and seemed like a natural progression for both departments,” Becker said.
Despite the seemingly obvious intersection between the disciplines, MAPE Co-Director Pablo Beramendi noted that the new program is unique. “Duke has a reputation for encouraging and implementing interdisciplinarity, and MAPE is just one of many examples of this. I don’t think there are a lot of programs like it out there,” he said.
There has been significant cross-pollination between the economics and political science departments over the years, with faculty and students alike traversing across West Campus between Social Sciences and Gross Hall. Currently, three faculty members — Bahar Leventoglu, Timur Kuran, and Michael Munger — hold joint appointments in both departments, economics students take political science courses, and political science students take economics courses both at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Students enrolled in the MAPE program are encouraged to customize the course curriculum to meet their specific needs, and they will be able to take graduate-level courses not only in economics and political science but also computer science, mathematics, public policy, sociology, and statistical science.
“This program is designed flexible so that students can develop strengths and interests as they work toward political economy careers in academia and beyond,” said Beramendi, who is also the political science department’s director of graduate studies. “We’re looking for people who want to go on to Ph.D. programs and become academics in the field, people who want to become policymakers, and people who want to work for organizations that design improved policies.”
According to Becker and Beramendi, the ideal MAPE candidate is someone who wants a formal education in statistical and econometric analysis as well as an understanding of the relationships between politics and markets.
Learn more about the Duke Economics master's degree programs.