Course description
This course will introduce students to applied topics on elections and political careers in political economy. We will discuss how elections affect political careers and vice versa: Do voters affect or select party platforms? Does the identity of politicians matter for the types of policies they implement? Do elections restrict politicians’ behaviour in office, tackling corruption or shirking? Is there an incumbency advantage? Does the length of a political career affect the propensity to establish a political dynasty? We will discuss political selection, incentivising politicians and the consequences of long careers, using principal-agent theory as a theoretical backbone. The focus in this course lies on reading and critically engaging with recent empirical research using methods of causal identification, which will be introduced in an intuitive manner.
Course outcomes:
Objective1: The course introduces students to recent applied topics in political economy. After the completion of this course, students will be informed about recent findings from research about elections and political careers in political economy.
Objective 2: After the completion of this course students will be able to interpret recent empirical research employing methods of causal identification. Students will develop their methodological skills as social scientists, as well as writing and presentation skills, by reading, interpreting and critically engaging with theoretical and empirical research.
Methods of Instruction
The class will be taught in seminar form, i.e. as a combination of lectures and class discussions. A different topic will be considered each week
Studymaterial
Books and articles; a detailed reading list will be made available on blackboard. There is no handbook for this course.
Examination
A combination of individual written work, in-class participation and a presentation.
Entry Requirements
This course has no formal entry requirements, but succesful completion of (and an interest in) “Statistiek” (or an equivalent course on Empirical Methods for Political Scientists), “Rationele Keuzetheorie” (or an equivalent Introduction to Rational Choice Theory) and “Economie voor Politicologen” (or an equivalent Introduction to Economics for Political Scientists course) will be helpful.
Registration
You will be registered by the Institute’s Secretariat for Elections and Political Careers.