GV481 Half Unit
Political Science and Political Economy
This information is for the 2015/16 session.
Teacher responsible
Dr Valentino Larcinese
Availability
This course is compulsory on the MSc in Political Science and Political Economy. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.
Open to all MSc students in the Department of Government.
Course content
This course examines public policy formation, political processes and political institutions. The emphasis is on introducing some key formal models to simplify and analyze broad classes of situations. Students are not only expected to be familiar with these models but also to be able to use them to solve problems of a technical nature. The course will also emphasize rigorous empirical testing of formal models. We will focus on collective action, voting, elections, interest groups, legislative organization, political agency and bureaucracies.
Teaching
20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars in the MT. 1 hour of seminars in the ST.
Formative coursework
Two problem sets. Two additional optional problem sets can also be submitted.
Indicative reading
D. Mueller: Public Choice III; T. Persson and G. Tabellini: Political Economics; T. Besley: Principled Agents?
Assessment
Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.
Student performance results
(2011/12 - 2013/14 combined)
| Classification | % of students |
|---|---|
| Distinction | 38 |
| Merit | 34.2 |
| Pass | 17.7 |
| Fail | 10.1 |
Key facts
Department: Government
Total students 2014/15: 41
Average class size 2014/15: 18
Controlled access 2014/15: No
Value: Half Unit
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Problem solving
- Communication
Course survey results
(2011/12 - 2013/14 combined)
1 = "best" score, 5 = "worst" scoreThe scores below are average responses.
Response rate: 89.2%
Question |
Average | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reading list (Q2.1) |
2.4 | ||||||
Materials (Q2.3) |
2 | ||||||
Course satisfied (Q2.4) |
2.6 | ||||||
Lectures (Q2.5) |
2.7 | ||||||
Integration (Q2.6) |
3.1 | ||||||
Contact (Q2.7) |
2.7 | ||||||
Feedback (Q2.8) |
3.2 | ||||||
Recommend (Q2.9) |
|
