POL S 588 A: Special Topics In Comparative Political Economy

Historical political economy is a thriving field that employs quantitative historical datasets, econometrics, and qualitative case knowledge to study a wide range of political economy questions. In this course, students will gain exposure to the frontiers of research on the historical determinants of economic and political development, focusing on five broad questions: Why are some countries richer than others? Why do some have higher levels of human capital than others? Where do cultural differences across countries stem from? What factors explain transitions to democracy? What factors lead to the formation of strong states? We will examine research that seeks to determine whether differences in economic and political development today have historical roots, and, more importantly, we will study different mechanisms and channels through which the past can affect the present. Particular attention will be paid to the role of institutions, conflict, geography, and culture in explaining historical persistence.

You can view the syllabus here.