This research seminar complements the MACIS core seminar in Political Economy. It covers topics such as international trade, environmental policy, international finance and foreign direct investment, and welfare state policy. Students will, based on reading assignments and discussions in class, develop a research question, present a research design, and write a paper.
Learning objective
Students will acquire an advanced understanding of some of the key issues and arguments in comparative and international political economy. They will also prepare the ground for a high-quality MA thesis in political economy.
Content
Because the number of students will be very small, the Political Economy core course runs in parallel, and research interests will be heterogeneous, the general approach will be informal and decentralized. Before the seminar starts we will identify what research topics - within the broader field of Comparative and International Political Economy - the participating students are most interested in. In the first two weeks of the semester, we will meet twice for two hours each as a group to discuss how to write a good research seminar paper, and to identify more closely what each student will be working on. Each student will then receive a reading list, so that she/he can get familiar with the state-of-the-art in her/his area of interests and develop a research design in close consultation with Profs. Bernauer and Koubi as well as postdocs from Prof. Bernauer's group. The group as a whole meets again ca. in week 7 of the semester to discuss the provisional research designs. Research then continues in a decentralized fashion - again in consultation with Profs. Bernauer and Koubi as well as postdocs from Prof. Bernauer's group. The group as a whole meets again in the second to last week of the semester. Each student reports on progress in her/his research during that meeting. The research seminar paper must be finalized and submitted by the end of July 2015.
Prerequisites / Notice
This seminar is restricted to students enrolled in the MACIS program.
Performance assessment
Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again)
Performance assessment as a semester course
: Special students and auditors need a special permission from the lecturers