Spring 2021 - POL 455 D100
States and Markets (4)
Class Number: 5297
Delivery Method: Remote
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Jan 11 – Apr 16, 2021: Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Apr 22, 2021
Thu, 11:59–11:59 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Laurent Dobuzinskis
dobuzins@sfu.ca
1 778 782-3841
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Prerequisites:
Eight upper division units in political science or permission of the department.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Survey of the concepts and theoretical approaches, from Adam Smith's political economy to contemporary paradigms, used to understand the role and place of state institutions In a market economy and of the criteria that are used to design and implement economic and social policies. Particular attention is paid to the philosophical and normative questions that are raised by such an analysis.
COURSE DETAILS:
Do governments need to intervene to correct “market failures” or are “government failures” worse than the market failures governments seek to resolve? In answering this question, the course seeks to introduce students to a wide range of schools of thoughts and approaches. The ideas and insights of diverse thinkers (mostly economists) who theorized the role and place of state institutions in a market economy are examined, from Adam Smith's political economy to Marshall’s Neo‐classical economics to Keynes and neo-Keynesians, to Hayek and “Austrian economics,” as well as radical critics of market economics. Particular attention is paid to the normative questions that underpin these theoretical reflections and their relationship to political thought and ideologies, including classical liberalism, libertarianism, egalitarianism, feminism, and so on. Students will have opportunities to think about how these theoretical themes can help making sense of contemporary policy issues, e.g., , economic inequalities, causes of business cycles, the return of protectionism, the New Monetary Theory (“helicopter money”?), etc.
There will be a two hour synchronous lecture and discussion period and a one-hour asynchronous period for using other resources.
Grading
- Essay (15 pp./4,500 words) 40%
- Short paper (2,500 words) 20%
- Presentation (plus written follow-up) 10%
- Take-home Final exam - due on April 22, 2021 @ 11:59 pm 30%
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Mark Skousen, The Making of Modern Economics: The Lives and Ideas of the Great Thinkers, 3rd ed. London: Routledge, 2016 (or more recent ed. If available). ISBN: 0765645440
Department Undergraduate Notes:
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
TEACHING AT SFU IN SPRING 2021
Teaching at SFU in spring 2021 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.
Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).