MSc Political Economy of Europe in the World

Are you curious about the evolving relations between market and state in Europe? Do you want to understand how the process of European integration affects these relations and the continent's place in the global economy? Do you wonder what this implies for the green transition, industrial policy and inequality? If so, our Political Economy of Europe in the World programme provides a historically grounded, multidisciplinary analysis of these questions.

Join us and learn from top academics and policy experts in Europe and beyond. The programme offers core courses covering the foundations of political economy and specialist courses that explore a variety of relevant themes, including monetary integration, welfare states and labour markets, finance, varieties of capitalism, European policymaking and governance, and global trade.

The programme also offers additional optional courses on identity, ethnicity, society and uses some of those to understand some of Europe’s regions. The European Institute hosts a vibrant programme of events, with guest lectures from leaders in business, politics, and European civil society.

Take your understanding of European political economy to the next level. Apply now to the programme and equip yourself with the tools you need to thrive in today's globalised economy.

• R Baldwin and C Wyplosz The economics of European integration (McGraw-Hill Education, 2009)
• C Bickerton European Integration: From Nation States to Member States (Oxford University Press, 2012)
• M Blyth Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea (Oxford University Press, 2013)
• W Carlin and D Soskice Macroeconomics. Imperfections, Institutions and Policies (Oxford University Press, 2006)
• B Clift Comparative Political Economy: States, Markets and Global Capitalism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014)
• D Dinan Europe Recast: A History of the European Union, Houndmills (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004)
• D Dinan Ever Closer Union: an introduction to European integration (4th edition, Palgrave MacMillan, 2010)
• S Durlauf and L Blume (eds) The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics Online  (selected entries, 2008)
• B Eichengreen The European Economy Since 1945: coordinated capitalism and beyond, (Princeton University Press, 2007)
• B Hancké, M Rhodes and M Thatcher. (eds) Beyond Varieties of Capitalism: Conflict, Contradictions, and Complementarities in the European Economy (Oxford University Press, 2007)
• C Hay and D Wincott The Political Economy of European Welfare Capitalism (Palgrave, 2012)
• A Hemerijck Changing Welfare States (Oxford University Press, 2012)
• G Majone Rethinking the Union of Europe Post-Crisis: Has Integration gone too far? (Cambridge University Press, 2014)
• J Pelkmans European integration: methods and economic analysis (3rd edition, Prentice Hall, 2006)
• G Roland Transition and Economics: politics, markets and firms (The MIT Press, 2000)
• B Rosamond Theories of European Integration (St Martin’s Press, 2000)
• H Wallace, M Pollack and A Young Policy-making in the European Union (7th edition, Oxford University Press, 2014)
• H Zimmermann and A Dür (eds) Key controversies in European integration (2nd edition,Palgrave Macmillan, 2016)

You'll take two compulsory half unit courses, optional courses to the value of two units, and a compulsory dissertation. One unit (or two half-unit courses) must be taken from a list of specialist courses on the political economy of Europe, taught by core staff in the Political Economy group. The other unit can be taken from a wider list of courses offered at the European Institute (including courses on EU governance and European identity) or, with permission, from another MSc degree at the LSE.

You'll also take "How do we know? An introduction to research design and methods in political economy" and attend "Engaging with Europe: professional skills". This is a programme designed for your professional development. Additional training sessions and thematic workshops are offered throughout the year.

The European Institute is a multidisciplinary centre for the study of European politics, economics and culture.

Founded in 1991, the institute is the UK's leading centre for the study of Europe, offering a range of master’s programmes and an extensive MPhil/PhD programme. Every year, we welcome more than 200 master’s and 30 doctoral students from all regions of the globe.

Our research spans four key themes – political economy, politics and policy, culture and society, and migration. Teaching and research draw on the expertise of staff from many different disciplines across LSE, including politics, economics and sociology.

The institute is outward facing. We run dozens of events each year, with workshops, seminars and presentations, welcoming high-profile speakers, including former presidents, prime ministers, foreign and finance ministers, distinguished scholars and influential commentators.

Internationally, we’ve forged close links with several partner institutions –Sciences Po (Paris), Bocconi University (Milan) and Fudan University (Shanghai), with whom we run double master’s programmes.

• Find out more about our Alumni
• Video Highlight | LSE European Institute: An Introduction
• Video Highlight | Welcome to LSE: Our official campus tour video
• Find out more about out faculty
• Connect with us on social media

European Institute

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified prospective students. At LSE, we want to recruit students with the best academic merit, potential and motivation, irrespective of background.

We carefully consider each application and take into account all the information included on your application form, such as your:

• academic achievement (including predicted and achieved grades)
• statement of academic purpose
• two academic references
• CV.

See further information on supporting documents.

You may need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. See our English language requirements.

Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis. This means that applications will close once the programme is full.

There is no fixed deadline. However, if you’d like to be considered for any funding opportunities, you must submit your application (and all supporting documents) by the funding deadline. See the fees and funding section below for more details.

For this programme, all students pay the same tuition fees, regardless of their fee status.

For this programme, all students pay the same tuition fees, regardless of their fee status.

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework, which is unassessed. It's designed to help prepare you for your summative assessments, which count towards the course mark, and to the degree award. LSE uses a range of formative and summative assessments, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, exams, online assessments and many others. Summative assessment may be conducted during the course or by final examination at the end of the course. An indication of the formative coursework and summative assessment for each course can be found in the relevant course guide.

Former graduates pursue successful careers in politics, business, diplomacy, consultancy and journalism, and in international organisations and financial institutions. Students from this programme are actively headhunted by companies and international organisations working in the region.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.

See LSE Careers for further details.