Dr Alexandra Cirone

This course is compulsory on the Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-Columbia), Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-University of Toronto), Master of Public Administration, MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Hertie), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and NUS), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Tokyo) and MPA in Data Science for Public Policy. This course is not available as an outside option to students on other programmes. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process. For information on controlled access courses, including eligibility, application processes, deadlines, and departmental contact details, please refer to the Controlled Access Courses webpage.

Compulsory course for MPA, MPA Double Degree and MPA in Data Science for Public Policy Year 1 students.  The course is not available as an outside option. 

Deadline for application: 12 noon on the Friday before the start of Autumn Term.

For queries contact: spp.doubledegrees@lse.ac.uk

This course develops tools to help students understand, negotiate, and (where possible) improve the political context of policymaking.  The course examines a wide range of political phenomena, including political behaviour (such as voting behaviour, elections, political mobilisation and protest, and identity politics), political institutions (such as electoral systems, regimes, federalism, and decentralised governance) and political outcomes and policies (such as populism, immigration, economic redistribution, democracy in crisis, ethnic conflict, and climate change).

The course combines a review of the main empirical regularities across time and across country in each of these areas, with an introduction to key theoretical arguments about how to understand how actors interact and how institutions shape strategic behaviour.  The course also introduces students to the "politics of policy" and how this affects policymaking.

15 hours of seminars and 20 hours of lectures in the Autumn Term.
15 hours of seminars and 20 hours of lectures in the Winter Term.
2 hours of lectures in the Spring Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn and Winter Term.

In Winter Term, students will participate in a mock exam exercise to prepare for the end of course exam.

• W.R.Clark, M. Golder and S.N.Golder (2018), Principles of Comparative Politics, 3rd Edition, CQ Press.
• E. Bueno de Mesquita (2016), Political Economy for Public Policy, Princeton University Press

These books provide excellent starting points and can be used as references for many topics. A full reading list will be provided at the beginning of the course

Exam (60%), duration: 120 Minutes, reading time: 15 minutes in the Spring exam period.

Presentation (40%).

This component of assessment includes an element of group work.

The assessed presentation will take place during Autumn Term.