Dr Alexandra Cirone

This course is compulsory on the Master of Public Policy. This course is not available as an outside option.

The 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 will combine 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 theoretical propositions.

This course is delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars totalling a minimum of 35 hours across Autumn Term. 

Students will be expected to produce one formative assignment in the AT.

W. R. Clark, M. Golder, & S. N. Golder (2018). Principles of Comparative Politics. Third Edition. CQ Press.

E. Bueno de Mesquita (2016), Political Economy for Public Policy, Princeton University Press.

These books provide excellent starting points and can be used as references for many topics. A full reading list will be distributed at the beginning of the course.

Exam (70%, duration: 2 hours, reading time: 15 minutes) in the January exam period.
Presentation (30%) in the AT.