Dr Mathilde Emeriau

Dr Joachim Wehner

This course is compulsory on the Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-University of Toronto) and Master of Public Administration. This course is available on the MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Columbia), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Hertie), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and NUS), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Sciences Po) and MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Tokyo). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

This course will introduce students to how to understand the political context of policymaking, using the latest theoretical and empirical knowledge in modern political science.  The course will cover, among other things, political behaviour (such as voting behaviour, elections and lobbying), political institutions (such as electoral systems, parliamentary and presidential government and central banks) and political outcomes (such as economic policies and public services).  The course combines a review of the main empirical regularities across time and across country in each of these areas, with an introduction to key theoretical arguments about how actors interact and how institutions shape strategic behaviour, and an introduction to the latest empirical (and causal) estimation techniques for testing the key theoretical ideas.  The course also surveys a selection of current policy challenges and examines the importance of political variables in understanding and addressing these.

This course is delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars totalling a minimum of 60 hours across Michaelmas Term and Lent Term. This year teaching will be delivered through a combination of online lectures with seminars taking place in person where possible and where conditions allow.

Students are expected to produce one formative assignment in Michaelmas Term and a second in the Lent Term.

W.R.Clark, M. Golder and S.N.Golder (2018) 'Principles of Comparative Politics', Third Edition, CQ Press.  This book provides an excellent starting point and can be used as the main reference for many topics. A full reading list will be provided at the beginning of the course.

Essay (50%, 2500 words) in the ST.
Presentation (50%) in the MT and LT.

Application exercises will be carried out in groups and assessed on the basis of three group presentations, one in the Michaelmas Term and two in the Lent Term.  Assessment will be as a group, but there may be an individual component within the mark.

Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.