| Description |
The focus of this course will be on the origins and economic impact of political institutions (e.g. Democracy vs. Autocracy, different types of Democracy). We shall argue that these are not "neutral", as different institutions allocate political power differently among social groups with conflicting goals, who then have naturally different preferences on them. Special attention shall be paid to the influence of international relations (and particularly international conflicts) on domestic institutions and policy outcomes. Occasionally, we will also make use of some simple formal models of political economy. |