040004 SE Further Topics in Economic Sociology (MA) (2019S)
Political Economy of Inequality and Redistribution
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Mo 11.02.2019 09:00 to We 20.02.2019 12:00
- Registration is open from Tu 26.02.2019 09:00 to We 27.02.2019 12:00
- Deregistration possible until Th 14.03.2019 23:59
Details
max. 25 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
Mit der Anmeldung für diese Lehrveranstaltung erklären sich die TeilnehmerInnen damit einverstanden, dass etwaige Studienleistungen auf das Vorhandensein von Plagiaten elektronisch überprüft werden.
- Monday 08.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
- Tuesday 09.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
- Wednesday 10.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
- Thursday 11.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
- Friday 12.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
- Monday 13.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
- Tuesday 14.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
- Wednesday 15.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
- Thursday 16.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
- Friday 17.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 13 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Monday 27.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
- Tuesday 28.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
- Wednesday 29.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Seminarraum 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
- Wednesday 29.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
(1) Each student is expected to attend class, complete all required readings and significantly contribute to the seminar discussions each week. Participation in class discussions is an essential part of the class.
Seminar participation is 20% of the final grade.
(2) Students will be expected to submit 2 short papers for class discussion. These papers should not summarize the readings. Rather, students should produce a critical discussion of the literature for that week. The paper should present an argument. Students should address the main points in the readings but in their analysis they can focus on particular issues (theoretical weaknesses, empirical problems, things that have been ignored, ways in which the argument could be improved, etc). The papers should be 3-4 double-spaced pages. Papers are due by 10 AM the day before class. They should be provided (to me and the rest of the seminar) by e-mail.
Part of the grade for the discussion paper will be based on the student’s presentation of it. It is the students’ responsibility to lead the discussion about the readings they have written about. The rest of the class will comment on the points they have made in the short papers.
Short discussion papers and the presentations constitute 30% of the final grade.
(3) Students will be expected to write a term paper (15-20). The research paper should do the following: formulate a puzzle that addresses one of the theoretical issues emphasized during the course; review the literature related to this topic; present an argument (not a description or a summary); and explore a solution to the puzzle by presenting some evidence (whether it is statistics, a detailed comparison of different cases, an analysis of relevant historical events, etc).
The research paper constitutes 50% of the final grade.
Seminar participation is 20% of the final grade.
(2) Students will be expected to submit 2 short papers for class discussion. These papers should not summarize the readings. Rather, students should produce a critical discussion of the literature for that week. The paper should present an argument. Students should address the main points in the readings but in their analysis they can focus on particular issues (theoretical weaknesses, empirical problems, things that have been ignored, ways in which the argument could be improved, etc). The papers should be 3-4 double-spaced pages. Papers are due by 10 AM the day before class. They should be provided (to me and the rest of the seminar) by e-mail.
Part of the grade for the discussion paper will be based on the student’s presentation of it. It is the students’ responsibility to lead the discussion about the readings they have written about. The rest of the class will comment on the points they have made in the short papers.
Short discussion papers and the presentations constitute 30% of the final grade.
(3) Students will be expected to write a term paper (15-20). The research paper should do the following: formulate a puzzle that addresses one of the theoretical issues emphasized during the course; review the literature related to this topic; present an argument (not a description or a summary); and explore a solution to the puzzle by presenting some evidence (whether it is statistics, a detailed comparison of different cases, an analysis of relevant historical events, etc).
The research paper constitutes 50% of the final grade.
Examination topics
Reading list
Background Reading:
• Lane Kenworthy 2007. Jobs with Equality (chapter 2).
• Peter Lindert 2004: Growing Public. Social Spending and Economic Growth since the Eighteen Century. Cambridge University Press (Vol I: chapter 1,2).The following are empirical pieces that aim at mapping out the evolution of inequality from different perspectives. Knowing these “facts” and thinking about the issues around them will prove helpful throughout the rest of the term.
• A. Brandolini and T. Smeeding 2008. “Inequality Patterns in Western Democracies” P. Beramendi and C. Anderson (eds) Democracy, Inequality, and Representation. Russell Sage Foundation.
• B. Milanovic 2011 The Haves and the Have Nots. Basic Books B. Milanovic 2005 Worlds Apart. Measuring International and Global Inequality, Princeton University Press.
• Nancy Birdsall, Nora Lustig et al. 2011: ‘Declining Inequality in Latin America: Some Economics, Some Politics.” (http://www.cgdev.org/files/1425092_file_Birdsall_Lustig_McLeod_FINAL.pdf)
• Divided We Stand: Why Inequality Keeps Rising (2011) OECD.
• Growing Unequal? Income Distribution and Poverty in OECD Countries (2008) OECD.
• Atkinson, Anthony B. and Thomas Piketty (2007). Top Incomes over the Twentieth Century: A Contrast between Continental European and English-Speaking Countries (Volume 1). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Atkinson, Anthony B. and Thomas Piketty (2010). Top Incomes over the Twentieth Century: A Global Perspective (Volume 2). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Also, very useful: The World Top Income Datasets (http://gmond.parisschoolofeconomics.eu/topincomes/#Introduction:)Literature concerning Topics see Moodle
• Lane Kenworthy 2007. Jobs with Equality (chapter 2).
• Peter Lindert 2004: Growing Public. Social Spending and Economic Growth since the Eighteen Century. Cambridge University Press (Vol I: chapter 1,2).The following are empirical pieces that aim at mapping out the evolution of inequality from different perspectives. Knowing these “facts” and thinking about the issues around them will prove helpful throughout the rest of the term.
• A. Brandolini and T. Smeeding 2008. “Inequality Patterns in Western Democracies” P. Beramendi and C. Anderson (eds) Democracy, Inequality, and Representation. Russell Sage Foundation.
• B. Milanovic 2011 The Haves and the Have Nots. Basic Books B. Milanovic 2005 Worlds Apart. Measuring International and Global Inequality, Princeton University Press.
• Nancy Birdsall, Nora Lustig et al. 2011: ‘Declining Inequality in Latin America: Some Economics, Some Politics.” (http://www.cgdev.org/files/1425092_file_Birdsall_Lustig_McLeod_FINAL.pdf)
• Divided We Stand: Why Inequality Keeps Rising (2011) OECD.
• Growing Unequal? Income Distribution and Poverty in OECD Countries (2008) OECD.
• Atkinson, Anthony B. and Thomas Piketty (2007). Top Incomes over the Twentieth Century: A Contrast between Continental European and English-Speaking Countries (Volume 1). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Atkinson, Anthony B. and Thomas Piketty (2010). Top Incomes over the Twentieth Century: A Global Perspective (Volume 2). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Also, very useful: The World Top Income Datasets (http://gmond.parisschoolofeconomics.eu/topincomes/#Introduction:)Literature concerning Topics see Moodle
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:28
Content:
The fundamental goal of this course is to analyze how the political relationships among individuals, institutions and the economy affect (and are affected by) inequality. In this context, we will explore several issues.
Distributional issues have been at the core of political science for a long time. Yet over the last two decades the study of the political origins and consequences of inequality is gaining strength in comparative politics. New data sources and analytical tools explain a revival that is shedding new light on many issues central to the discipline. Deeply connected to issues such as the origins of democracy, political involvement, partisan alignments or political representation, inequality is attracting the attention of economists, sociologists, political scientists, and economic historians alike.
Aims:
This seminar is designed to provide students with a critical overview of some of assumption in the field and to advance their analytical skills.
The course aims to introduce students, who may have had no previous opportunity for systematic study of the political economy of inequality and democracy, to the state-of-the-art academic literature on the subject. Through reading, writing of discussion papers, seminar participation, and the writing of a research paper students will develop the relevant analytical skills to understand the relationships affecting individual preferences, political and economic institutions, and policy outcomes. They will be exposed to many of the key issues confronting the relationship between political and economic factors in different countries. The course is designed to promote student engagement with a number of the most important conceptual approaches and research methods used by scholars in the study of comparative political economy. It will help students understand the main debates in this field and to undertake further independent research in any of the topics emphasized in the course.
Method:
The course will be taught in in 14 seminars of 90 minutes. Students will write short papers on some aspects of the week’s topics and will lead the discussion.
(Preliminary) Topics:
Topic 1: Inequality and Redistribution?
Topic 2: Redistribution as Insurance
Topic 3: Ideology, Perception? Occupation, Class, Technology?
Topic 4: Redistribution, Identity and Altruism
Topic 5: Experimental Approaches to Redistribution and Insurance
Topic 6: Inequality and Democracy
Topic 7: Redistribution, Voting and Parties I
Topic 8: Redistribution, Voting and Parties II
Topic 9: Welfare State, Macro Equality, Policy and Redistribution Preferences