ECON 4290 - Economic Analysis of Politics

(SSC-AS) (SBA-AG)

Fall or Spring. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: ECON 3030, ECON 3040, and ECON 3110, or ECON 3130.

S. Coate.

This is an advanced course intended for upper level economics undergraduates who enjoy learning about and analyzing economic models. The course provides an introduction to the economic analysis of politics. Part I discusses collective choice and introduces some core ideas from social choice theory. Part II provides an overview of economic theories of political behavior. Part III discusses how political decisions are distorted away from those that would be made by the benevolent governments from public economics textbooks. Part IV offers economic perspectives on a number of contemporary issues in American politics.