Carleton College

Political Economy Concentration

Director: Associate Professor Alfred P. Montero

The study of political economy involves issues that range from the analysis of American public policy, the increasing global interdependence of national governments and their economies, the relationship of micro-level to macro-level activity, and the ways that public and private choices affect one another.

Requirements for the Concentration:

Since the study of politics and economics are closely and intimately related, we ask students (1) to get a grounding in several different disciplines; (2) to specialize in one broad area; and (3) to come together in a final senior seminar that cuts across the different fields of specialization.

Students enrolling in the concentration will ordinarily major in economics, history, political science, or sociology/anthropology.

Lower Level Course Requirements (four courses required):

All three of the following:

      ECON 110 Principles of Macroeconomics

      ECON 111 Principles of Microeconomics

      POSC 265 Politics of Global Economic Relations

      plus one course from:

      ECON 250 History of Economic Ideas

      HIST 140 Modern Europe 1789-1914

      POSC 170 International Relations and World Politics

      POSC 263 European Political Economy (not offered in 2005-2006)

Upper Level Course Requirements (one course required):

Course must correspond with broad area of specialization.

      American Public Policy:

      ECON 270 Economics of the Public Sector (not offered in 2005-2006)

      POSC 201 National Policymaking (not offered in 2005-2006)

      or World Trade and Development:

      ECON 240 Economics of Developing Countries     

ECON 280 International Trade

      ECON 281 International Finance

Upper Level Course Electives (three courses required):

Each student will select at least three courses from the two broad areas of specialization listed below in consultation with the concentration coordinator. These courses must come from at least two different departments. Two of these courses will be in the same broad area of specialization with the third coming from the other area. Courses listed under Upper Level Course Requirements (above) may also count as upper level course electives if they are not being used to satisfy the Upper Level Course Requirements group.

American Public Policy:

      ECON 232 American Economic History (not offered in 2005-2006)

      ECON 245 Economics of Inequality

      ECON 260 Managerial Economics I

ECON 262 Economics of Sports (not offered in 2005-2006)

      ECON 271 Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment (not offered in 2005-2006)

      ECON 272 Organizations and Decisionmaking

ECON 273 Water and Western Economic Development (not offered in 2005-2006)

      ECON 274 Labor Economics (not offered in 2005-2006)

      ECON 275 Law and Economics

      ECON 276 Money and Banking

      ECON 278 Industrial Organization and Pricing Policy (not offered in 2005-2006)

      ECON 282 Financial Markets

      POSC 262 Environmental Policy and Politics (not offered in 2005-2006)

      POSC 266 Urban Political Economy

      POSC Carleton Political Science Seminar in Washington D.C.*

      POSC 308 Poverty and Public Policy (not offered in 2005-2006)

      SOAN 220 Class, Power, and Inequality in America

      SOAN 221 Law and Society

World Trade and Development:

      ECON: Carleton Economics Seminar in Cambridge*

      ECON 231 Soviet and Post-Soviet Economics (not offered in 2005-2006)

      HIST 272 Emergence of Modern Mexico

      POSC 268 International Environmental Politics and Policy

      POSC 320 Government and Politics of Africa (not offered in 2005-2006)

      POSC 322 Political Economy of Latin America

      POSC 364 Capitalism and Its Critics

      POSC 366 Urban Political Economy

      POSC 381 Politics of Economic Development

      POSC 382 Chinese Economy in Transition

      POSC 383 Politics of the European Union (not offered in 2005-2006)

      SOAN 130 Population and Food in the Global System

      SOAN 234 Ecology, Economy, and Culture

      SOAN 312 Actors and Issues in Contemporary Third World "Development" (not offered in 2005­2006)

Upper Level Seminar Requirement: (one course)

      POSC 360 Political Economy Seminar (not offered in 2005-2006)

      POSC 364 Capitalism and Its Critics

      * selected courses from the off-campus seminar