Economics of Politics

Module description

This module is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts and issues in contemporary political economy, with a particular focus on the political economy of the contemporary social democratic state. The module will aim to:

• Introduce students to concepts of economic analysis that are most relevant to the study of government and politics
• Provide students with an understanding of the problems of market failure and government failure and provide a scholarly framework to comparatively evaluate these problems
• To provide an economic analysis of elections; voting; interest groups and bureaucracy

Assessment details

2-hour exam (70%) & 1,500-word essay (30%)

Semester 1 only students will be given an appropriate alternative assessment for In person January exams.

Educational aims & objectives

This module is designed to provide students with the opportunity to apply standard neo - classical economic analysis is to the political realm.

The module will aim to:

• Introduce students to the basic approach of neo-classical economic analysis and the relevance of these concepts to the study of government and politics.
• Provide students with an understanding of the problems of market failure and government failure and provide a scholarly framework to comparatively evaluate these problems.
• Provide students with a familiarity with a number of classic and key contemporary readings in public choice theory.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this module students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts of economics and their possible application to politics.
• Show an understanding of the problems of market failure and government failure.
• Demonstrate an ability to assess the policy implications that follow from the existence of market failure and government failure.

Module description disclaimer

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Please note that the module descriptions above are related to the current academic year and are subject to change.