Undergraduate Course: The Politics of Economic Expertise (PLIT10179)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Macroeconomics has changed drastically over the course of the long twentieth century, both as a field of study and as a tool of policy making. This course examines the ways in which it has evolved and the causes and consequences of these changes. |
| Course description |
While the study of economics often appears both scientifically objective and cumulative, it has in fact taken drastically different forms at various historical junctures. This course will introduce students to the evolution of (primarily macro-) economic thought over the course of the last century. It will discuss critical junctures in both the scientific pursuit of economic study and in economic policymaking and the various ways in which the two have intersected and diverged.
It is intended to equip students to better understand the politics and history of economics as a body of knowledge and thereby make them better readers of contemporary political developments, including the current upsurge of heterodox ideas ranging from large-scale industrial policy to the popularity of cryptocurrencies.
Topics covered will include the broad history of mainstream macroeconomics from Keynesianism to New Neoclassical macroeconomics; the role of formalization and professional incentives and expertise in critical junctures; the relationship between science and policymaking; the variability of gatekeeping effectiveness; and the role of heterodox economic ideas.
Most of the course takes the form of a seminar. This means that the students are expected to read the material before class and participate in the discussion.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Oral presentation on a reading for a class (Formative)
Short paper pitch and proposed bibliography 40%
Final essay 60%
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| Feedback |
Individual feedback will be provided on draft components. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Be familiar with the broad contours and evolution of macroeconomic thought from the early 20th century to the early 21st century.
- Understand the changing role that economic expertise has played in policymaking over the course of the long 20th century.
- Be able to critically engage with economic arguments as a form of politics.
- Be able to analyze the current crisis of expertise and the rise of lay expertise, especially as it pertains to economic ideas.
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Reading List
Blyth, M. (2002). Great Transformations: Economic Ideas and Institutional Change in the Twentieth Century. New York, Cambridge University Press. Chapter 5.
Fourcade, M. (2009). Economists and societies: Discipline and profession in the United States, Britain, and France, 1890s to 1990s. Princeton University Press. Chapter 1.
Helgadóttir, O. (2022). Seeing like a macroeconomist: varieties of formalisation, professional incentives and academic ideational change. New political economy, 27(3), 426-440.
Hirschman, D., & Berman, E. P. (2014). Do economists make policies? On the political effects of economics. Socio-economic review, 12(4), 779-811.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The course will contribute to a mindset of lifelong learning by encouraging students to reflect on their current understanding of economics, the impact it has on their behaviour and analysis of politics, and the experiences that have generated it.
In terms of skills, the course will contribute to students problem solving skills by helping students create, identify and evaluate options in order to solve complex problems; analyse facts and situations and apply creative thinking to develop the appropriate solutions; and ask questions
It will contribute to critical thinking by enhancing the capability to evaluate information thoroughly; identifying assumptions, detecting false logic or reasoning and defining terms accurately in order to make an informed judgement.
It will contribute to knowledge integration and application by helping students use information and knowledge effectively in order to abstract meaning from information and to share knowledge across fields, including the use of quantitative skills.
Finally, it will contribute to the ability to handle complexity and ambiguity by furthering students understanding of contextually relevant ethics and values, self-awareness, mental flexibility and openness, resilience and a commitment to life-long learning.
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | |
Course secretary | |
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