Political Economy of Development

This course explores the political economy of development, beginning with foundational models such as theories of voting and politician behavior. We will examine the roles of key actors in the political process, including the media and other interest groups. The course will then focus on essential topics like democratic successes and failures, state capacity, ethnicity and conflict, and the representation of historically marginalized groups in politics. Additionally, we will study the interaction between culture and institutions and how this shapes political and economic outcomes in developing countries. The course will heavily focus on empirical research, so a good understanding of applied econometric methods will be important. Prerequisite: Economics 204D or 208D