Political Economy: Growth, Institutions and Corruption

The course examines theory and empirical data related to the design and implementation of policies oriented towards favorable framework conditions for growth and development, at both micro and macro level. Theory and empirical data are mainly from the international literature. Topics include the significance of good/strong institutions for democracy and innovation, as well as growth and development. The importance of weak institutions is highlighted in a particular way.

Knowledge - the student shall have knowledge about:

• the design, implementation and impact of policies with emphasis on the possibilities of economic growth, development and democracy
• the influence of institutions on the possibility for growth, development and prosperity
• how weak institutions affect society, particularly regarding to corruption

Skills - the student shall demonstrate the ability to:

• treat one of the themes which was discussed in instruction in an independent analytical manner which fulfills the requirements for scientific writing
• orally discuss and reflect over one's own written work and the themes which were taken up during teaching

Lectures/group discussions 4 hours per week. If less than 6 students attend the course the two first weeeks of teaching, the course will be given as an individual study course with supervision. Please contact the departement for further information.