POL S 270 A: Introduction to Political Economy

Course Description.

Course Overview.

This course introduces students to political economy as a tool for understanding the political world. We will examine how individuals and groups make decisions, how markets and governments can both allocate resources and fail, and how institutions and civil society shape these processes across contexts. The course moves from foundations to frontiers: we begin with the building blocks of political-economic reasoning—rational choice, interests, and trade-offs—before turning to how markets and governments work and where each falls short. We then explore how cooperation emerges (and breaks down) in collective action problems, and conclude by applying these frameworks to pressing contemporary issues including globalization, development, trade, climate change, and extractivism. The course combines lectures and readings aiming to build an intuitive grasp of core concepts rather than memorization. Assigned materials include book chapters, landmark empirical studies, and accessible media such as podcasts and interactive explainers. Student learningis assessed through weekly discussion posts, short quizzes, and a final paper that appliespolitical-economy frameworks to a contemporary issue.

All information in the syllabus, as well as readings, assignments, and announcements can be found on the Canvas course website. It is the student’s responsibility to check the website on a frequent basis, since this is where all course-related information and developments will be posted.

Learning Objectives.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Understand the core concepts of political economy and identify them across contexts.
2. Explain how markets and governments allocate resources, where and why each falls short, and how these dynamics vary.
3. Analyze contemporary issues by drawing connections between theories and evidence.
4. Use political-economy constructs to develop an original written argument applying at least one course framework to a contemporary issue of the student’s choosing.

Course Details.

Readings.

There are two required textbooks for the course from which several chapters will be assigned (which will be available on Canvas in PDF format):

• Hancké, B., Van Overbeke, T., and Voss, D. (2025). Understanding Political Economy: Capitalism, Democracy and Inequality. Edward Elgar Publishing. (If you want to purchase it, it is available from the publisher's website. Digital versions are significantly cheaper.)
• Winter, H. (2005). Trade-Offs: An Introduction to Economic Reasoning. 3rd Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Digital version available at UW library.)

Along with these, there are frequently additional assigned readings that go into further detail on particular concepts or applications. All additional readings will be posted on the Canvas course website.

Course Requirements.

• Lecture: Recorded lectures will be posted online on Canvas for each week. In lectures, the instructor will cover the broad themes for the week’s topics, specific theories that apply to the content, and case studies. Slides will be available on Canvas, but may not contain all necessary information, so students are expected to watch lectures each week.
• Participation: There will be weekly discussion boards where you are expected to both post and respond to other students. These will be an important opportunity for you to engage with other students on the course topics and practice effectively communicating your thoughts and opinions.
• Additional assessment: The remaining portion of your grade will be determined by weekly quizzes assessing your understanding of the material and a final essay. Details about each type of assessment will be available on Canvas.

Grading.

Discussion Board Participation (30%, due weekly on Saturdays), Short Quizzes (30%, due weekly on Wednesdays), Final Paper (40%, divided into Topic and Thesis Statement 10% + Paper 30%).

Grading Appeals Policy.

Appeals must be made at least 24 hours after, but within one week of when the assignment was returned or the grade was posted. Appeals that simply ask for more points will not be considered, nor will requests for verbal appeals or point-by-point reviews of graded work. To submit an appeal, you must write a typed memo of a maximum of 1 page, clearly explaining why you believe the grade you received was incorrect. Submit the memo together with the original graded assignment to the instructor, who will re-grade the work and issue a final grade. Please note that the instructor reserves the right to re-grade
the entire assignment once an appeal is submitted, which may result in a grade that is higher, lower, or the same as the original.

Important Note on Readings and Assessment.

This course requires consistent engagement with assigned materials and comprises four weeks of content that would typically be included in a regular 10-week quarter. Expect to read 60–100 pages per week, drawn from a mix of academic chapters, empirical studies, and shorter accessible pieces. Some texts will be more demanding than others—this is intentional. The goal is not to overwhelm you but to build the kind of analytical fluency that makes political economy genuinely useful beyond this class. You should complete all readings and watch the lecture videos before attempting the weekly quiz and discussion post assignment, as they are designed to assess your grasp of both. Students who engage with the materials consistently and carefully will find the assessments straightforward; those who do not will find it difficult to perform well.

Pacing and Late Submission Policy.

This is a half-term course, so the schedule moves quickly. Falling behind can be difficult to recover from, so please stay on top of readings, lectures, and assignments.

Late work will be accepted until the end of the term (July 22). If an assignment is submitted late without a valid reason and within one week of the due date, it will incur a 1.5-point deduction (out of 5 for quizzes and discussion posts). If it is more than one week late, it will normally incur a 2-point deduction (out of 5).

A valid reason means a force majeure circumstance: serious illness or medical emergency, family emergency, documented disability-related accommodation, natural disaster, or other unforeseen circumstances genuinely beyond your control. Personal leisure travel (including vacations or trips planned during the term) is NOT considered a valid reason for late submission.

When possible, please contact the instructor before the due date to discuss extensions; if this is not possible due to an emergency, reach out as soon as you are able.

Disability Accommodations. 

All students are encouraged to make their instructors aware that they need disability accommodations and also to work with DRS to establish reasonable accommodations for coursework. Possible accommodations include accessible furniture in classrooms, alternative print formats, alternative testing services, assistive listening devices, classroom relocations, early/priority registration, note-taking services, real-time captioning, and sign language interpreters. More information on DRS services and accommodations can be found at UW DRS.
Students who have already established accommodations with DRS should provide their letter of accommodation to each instructor in the first week of the course, if not before, to assist the instructor(s) in creating accommodations and to inform and guide a discussion of options if needed.
Students who have not established accommodations with DRS and feel that they have a disability that will interfere with full participation should contact DRS to discuss accommodation options and consider discussing the need for accommodations with the instructor as soon as possible.  

Religious Accommodations.

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.

Academic Misconduct.

Academic misconduct is a serious offense at the University of Washington. All cases of suspected academic misconduct will be referred to the Arts and Sciences Committee on Academic Conduct, and may result in a grade of 0.0 for the assignment in question in addition to other potential consequences. The instructor takes instances of academic misconduct seriously, and is apt to pursue the most serious sanctions available under university guidelines. University policies and guidelines regarding cheating and plagiarism can be found on this website.

What constitutes academic misconduct? The University of Washington Student Conduct Code defines it as the following (WAC 478-120-024). Academic misconduct includes:

1.  “Cheating,” which includes, but is not limited to: (i) the use of unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations; or (ii) the acquisition, use, or distribution of unpublished materials created by another student without the express permission of the original author(s).
2. “Falsification,” which is the intentional use or submission of falsified data, records, or other information including, but not limited to, records of internship or practicum experiences or attendance at any required event(s). Falsification also includes falsifying scientific and/or scholarly research.
3. “Plagiarism,” which is the submission or presentation of someone else’s words, composition, research, or expressed ideas, whether published or unpublished, without attribution. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to: (i) the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment; or (ii) the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or acquired from an entity engaging in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.
4. Prohibited collaboration.
5. Engaging in behavior specifically prohibited by an instructor in the course of class instruction or in a course syllabus.
6. Multiple submissions of the same work in separate courses without the express permission of the instructor(s).
7. Taking deliberate action to destroy or damage another’s academic work in order to gain an advantage for oneself or another.
8. The recording of instructional content without the express permission of the instructor(s), and/or the dissemination or use of such unauthorized records.

Use of Generative AI.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT and similar systems) can support learning when used appropriately, but their use may also constitute unauthorized assistance under the Student Conduct Code. In this course, you are encouraged to develop familiarity with these tools in limited and transparent ways—such as for preliminary brainstorming or light proofreading. However, all submitted work must primarily reflect your own ideas, analysis, and writing. The use of AI to generate substantive portions of assignments, including drafts, arguments, or written responses, is not permitted.

Examples of appropriate use of AI include:

• Grammar checking, spell checking, and style improvement suggestions
• Brainstorming and organizing ideas you have developed
• Identifying potentially relevant sources and literature (which must be independently verified)
• Checking the clarity and coherence of your arguments or counter-arguments
• Clarifying complex sections of course readings

Examples of inappropriate use of AI include:

• Having AI write any portion of your assignments
• Submitting AI-generated content as your own work
• Using AI to summarize readings in place of engaging with them directly

This course is designed to develop your critical thinking skills and your ability to analyze political and economic phenomena using your own reasoning, experiences, and engagement with course materials. These are skills that cannot and should not be outsourced to algorithmic tools. If you are ever unsure whether a particular use of AI is appropriate, please ask before proceeding.

Course Schedule and Materials

Week 1. 06/22 - 06/28. 

Foundations of political economy. To be completed by Wednesday 06/24 (Quiz 1 due):

• Hancke., B., Van Overbeke, T., and Voss, D. (2025). Chapter 1. Political economy discovered. In Understanding Political Economy. Edward Elgar Publishing. Pp. 1-17.
• Heyne, P. (2008) [1993]. “Are Economists Basically Immoral?” in Are Economists Basically Immoral and Other Essays on Economics, Ethics, & Religion. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund. Pp. 1-10. [On canvas].

Rational choice and its limits. To be completed by Saturday 06/27 (Discussion post 1 due):

• Hancke, B., Van Overbeke, T., and Voss, D. (2025). Chapter 3. Interests make the world go round. In Understanding Political Economy. Edward Elgar Publishing. Pp. 33-48.
• Winter, H. (2005). Trade-offs. Chapters 3 and 4. Pp. 27-41.
• Winden, F. (2025). Affect in public choice. In Elgar Encyclopedia of Public Choice. Edward Elgar Publishing. Pp. 9-16. [On canvas].

Week 2. 06/29 - 07/05

Markets: what they are, what they do, and what they don’t. To be completed by Wednesday 07/01 (Quiz 2 due):

• Hancke, B., Van Overbeke, T., and Voss, D. (2025). Chapter 6. Markets and their failures. In Understanding Political Economy. Edward Elgar Publishing. Pp. 77-105.
• Winter, H. (2005). Trade-offs. Chapters 15 - 20. Pp. 103-144.
• Hayek, F.A. (1945). “The Use of Knowledge in Society.” American Economic Review 35(4): 519-30. [On canvas].
• Listen to: Planet Money – "The Bees Go to California." NPR (January 8, 2021)

Governments: what they are, what they do, and what they don’t. To be completed by Saturday 07/04 (Discussion post 2 due):

• Hanck., B., Van Overbeke, T., and Voss, D. (2025). Chapter 5. Institutions and the wealth of nations. In Understanding Political Economy. Edward Elgar Publishing. Pp. 60-76.
• Munger, M. (2024). “Government Failure in One Lesson.” AIER (June 11).
• Bertrand, M., Djankov, S., Hanna, R., and Mullainathan, S. (2007). “Obtaining a Driver’s License in India: An Experimental Approach to Studying Corruption.” Quarterly Journal of Economics, 122(4): 1639-1676. [On canvas]

Week 3. 07/06 - 07/12

• Assignment: Final paper topic and thesis statement due on Sunday, 07/12

Cooperation, interdependence, and collective action. To be completed by Wednesday 07/08 (Quiz 3 due):

• Hancke, B., Van Overbeke, T., and Voss, D. (2025). Chapter 9. Coordination and cooperation in an interdependent world. In Understanding Political Economy. Edward Elgar Publishing. Pp. 118-132.
• Mildenberger, M. (2019). The Tragedy of the Tragedy of the Commons. Scientific American (April 23).
• Ostrom, E. (2010). Polycentric systems for coping with collective action and global environmental change. Global Environmental Change 20 (4). Pp. 550-557. [On Canvas.]
• Play Nicky Case’s Explorable Explanation: "The Evolution of Trust" (Approx. 30 min.)

Globalization and Development. To be completed by Saturday 07/11 (Discussion post 3 due):

• Jakubik, A., & Heuvelen, E. V. (2024). Back to Basics: Globalization Today. F&D Magazine. International Monetary Fund (June).
• Listen to: New Books Network Podcast – Globalization’s Backlash: Echoes of the Interwar Era in Today’s World (May 10, 2025).
• White, G. W. (2007). International Political Economy and the Persistent Scare Quotes around “Development.” Perspectives on Politics, 5(1), 105–113. [On Canvas.]
• Alexander, D., & Rooney, B. (2019). Vote-Buying by the United States in the United Nations. International Studies Quarterly, 63(1), 168–176. [On Canvas.]

Week 4. 07/13-07/19

Trade and Tariffs. To be completed by Wednesday 07/15 (Quiz 4 due):

• Cornick, J., Frieden, J., & Stein, E. (2019). The Political Economy of Trade Policy: A Balancing Act. In Trading Promises for Results. Inter-American Development Bank. [On Canvas].
• Blinder, A. S. (2019). The Free-Trade Paradox: The Bad Politics of a Good Idea. Foreign Affairs, 98(1), 119–128. [On Canvas].
• Kim, S. E., & Margalit, Y. (2021). Tariffs As ElectoralWeapons: The Political Geography of the US–China Trade War. International Organization, 75(1), 1–38. [On Canvas].

• Explore: UNCTAD. (2025). Trade and Development Report 2025 (Overview).

Political economy of climate change and extractivism. To be completed by Saturday 07/18 (Discussion Post 4 due):

• Keohane, R. O., & Victor, D. G. (2016). Cooperation and discord in global climate policy. Nature Climate Change, 6(6), 570–575. [On canvas].
• Aklin, M., & Mildenberger, M. (2020). Prisoners of the Wrong Dilemma: Why Distributive Conflict, Not Collective Action, Characterizes the Politics of Climate Change. Global Environmental Politics, 20(4), 4–27. [On canvas].
• Afridi, F., Mahajan, K., & Sangwan, N. (2022). The gendered effects of droughts: Production shocks and labor response in agriculture. Labour Economics, 78. [On canvas].
• Listen to: The Rhodes Center Podcast - The extraction industry powering the green transition (November 24, 2025).

Week 5. 07/20-07/22

• Assignment: Final paper due on 07/22

Review and wrap up. To be completed by Wednesday 07/22 (last day of class):

• Read one of Harvard’s Ash Center the Political Economy of AI Essay Collection.
• Enke, B. (2025). Reconnecting Morality with Political Economy. F&D Magazine. International Monetary Fund (March).
• (Optional) Mazzucato, M., Josh, R., Giorgos G. (2023). Mapping modern economic rents: the good, the bad, and the grey areas. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 47(3): 507–534. [On canvas].