EC453 One Unit
Political Economy
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Prof Stephane Wolton
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, MSc in Economics, MSc in Economics (2 Year Programme), MSc in Environmental Economics and Climate Change, MSc in Environmental Policy, Technology and Health (Environmental Economics and Climate Change) (LSE and Peking University) and MSc in Political Science (Political Science and Political Economy). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.
How to apply: These courses are intended for MSc Economics, MSc Economics (2 Year Programme), and MSc EME Students. Any external student must have successfully completed EC400 or EC451 in September and/or have approval of the Department of Economics.
Deadline for application: Please apply as soon as possible after the opening of course selection for all courses.
For queries contact: Econ.msc@lse.ac.uk
Requisites
Pre-requisites:
Students must have completed EC400 before taking this course.
Additional requisites:
In exceptional circumstances, students may take this course without EC400 provided they meet the necessary requirements and have received approval from the course conveners (via a face to face meeting), the MSc Economics Programme Director and their own Programme Director. Contact the Department of Economics for more information (econ.msc@lse.ac.uk) regarding entry to this course.
Students should have completed courses in intermediate level microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics.
Course content
This course proposes a broad overview of seminal papers and recent advances in the growing field of Political Economy. The course covers both theoretical and empirical works. Each lecture is organized around a theme, with themes changing every year as a function of recent debates in the scholarly community and current problems in the world. In the academic year 2025/26, topics will include elections in developed and developing democracies, the political affect of media online and offline, interest groups, populism, discrimination, as well as several lectures on politics in autocracies. The course material will expand students’ capacity to think about policy and about relevant issues at the intersection of economics and political science.
Teaching
1 hours of seminars in the Spring Term.
10 hours of seminars and 20 hours of lectures in the Winter Term.
9 hours of seminars and 20 hours of lectures in the Autumn Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn and Winter Term.
There will be a two hour mock exam and a revision session in the first week of ST.
Formative assessment
At least two written assignment for handing in per term (assignment will include some work with data sets provided by the instructor).
Indicative reading
Most of the reading is from journal articles; lists will be supplied at the start of each term. Two books are of particular interest for students to get started: T Besley, Principled Agents? Selection and Incentives in Politics, Oxford University Press, 2005 and T Persson & G Tabellini, Political Economics: Explaining Political Outcomes, MIT Press, 2000.
Assessment
Assessment Pathway 1
Exam (50%), duration: 120 Minutes, reading time: 15 minutes in the Spring exam period
Essay (50%, 6000 words)
Assessment Pathway 2
Exam (100%), duration: 120 Minutes, reading time: 15 minutes in the Spring exam period
This course is IRDAP-enabled, meaning that resit and deferred assessments will take place in August 2026.
Students taking MSc Economics must take Assessment path 1 and will be required to submit the extended essay at the start of ST.
Key facts
Department: Economics
Course Study Period: Autumn, Winter and Spring Term
Unit value: One unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
CEFR Level: Null
Total students 2024/25: 13
Average class size 2024/25: 13
Controlled access 2024/25: NoCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.