Suspended in 2025/26
GV4H6 Half Unit
Behavioural Political Economy
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Prof Rafael Hortala-Vallve
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Political Science (Political Behaviour) 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: To apply for a place on this course, please write a short statement of 200 words (max) outlining the specific reasons for applying and how the course will benefit your academic/career goals.
Priority will be given to students on the programmes listed in the 'availability' section of the course guide. Places on capped courses cannot be guaranteed.
Students should check that they meet any pre-requisites in the course guide before applying (where applicable).
Course guides can be accessed by clicking on the relevant course code or via the LSE Course Guide webpages.
To apply for a place on this course, please write a short statement of 200 words (max) outlining the specific reasons for applying and how the course will benefit your academic/career goals.
Priority will be given to students on the programmes listed in the 'availability' section of the course guide. Places on capped courses cannot be guaranteed.
Deadline for application: The deadline for applications is 12:00 noon on Friday 27 September 2024.
Course Convenors will review applications and aim to make offers by 12:00 noon on Monday 30 September 2024.
Any places remaining after this date will be allocated based on priority and written statement - up until course selection closes.
For queries contact: For questions about the academic content of a Department of Government course, students should contact the teacher responsible as listed in the course guide.
For questions about your programme regulations, please contact your programme convenor/director or your Academic Mentor.
For questions about the process for applying to a Department of Government course please contact the Postgraduate Programmes Support Team gov.msc@.lse.ac.uk.
Requisites
Additional requisites:
It is required that students have some familiarity with formal models (game theory) and basic statistical concepts.
Course content
In this course we will introduce behavioural concepts and use them in explaining decisions of politicians, candidates for political office, voters, lobbyists, and other actors in the political and policymaking arena. The focus of the course will be academic but we will also visit the recent development by public policy practitioners – both the UK and the US have behavioural insights teams working closely with the executive branch.
We will analyse different political phenomena that do not perfectly fit our rational choice models. We will cover issues such as turnout in large elections, populist policies, framing of public policies to influence public opinion, attribution of blame to politicians, opt-in/opt-out policies and paternalism in policy recommendations, etc. By introducing insights from psychology to our classical political economy models we will study the effects of social, cognitive, and emotional factors on political decisions. Parallel to this formal analysis we will also introduce experimental methods.
Teaching
4 hours of lectures and 20 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.
Formative assessment
A presentatioin on the topic of your summative essay to be delivered in an extra session in WT Week 9.
Indicative reading
Berggren, N (2012), “Time for behavioural political economy? An analysis of articles in behavioural economics”, Review of Austrian Economics
De Rooij, E (2009), “Field Experiments on Political Behavior and Collective Action”, Annual Review of Political Science
Druckman, J (2006), “The growth and Development of Experimental Research in Political Science”, American Political Science Review
Druckman, J, D Green, J Kuklinski, and A Lupia (2011), Cambridge handbook of Experimental Political Science, Cambridge University Press
Kagel, J and A Roth (1995), Handbook of Experimental Economics, Princeton University Press
McDermot, R (2002), “Experimental Methods in Political Science”, Annual Review of Political Science
Morton, R and K Williams (2010), Experimental Political Science and the study of causality: from nature to the lab, Cambridge University Press
Palfrey, T (2009), “Laboratory experiments in Political Economy”, Annual Review of Political Science
Thaler, RH and CR Sunstein (2009), Nudge: improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness, Yale University Press
Wilson, R (2011), “The contribution of behavioural economics to political science”, Annual Review of Political Science
Assessment
Exam (50%), duration: 120 Minutes in the Spring exam period
Essay (50%, 3000 words)
Each student is required to submit an essay (3000 words including footnotes and appendix) in Week 1 of Spring Term composed of two parts: the analysis of a behavioural aspect in a political economy situation and a novel experimental design proposal related to it. This essay will count for 50% of the final mark. The remaining 50% will be assessed by means of an exam.
Key facts
Department: Government
Course Study Period: Winter Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
CEFR Level: Null
Total students 2024/25: 8
Average class size 2024/25: 8
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.
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Application of information skills
- Communication
- Application of numeracy skills
- Specialist skills