Business and Political Economy Program (BPEP-UB)

This course explores political theory with an emphasis on modern theory and issues of political economy. The course has three main objectives. First, students are introduced to different theories of politics. Second, the course has a major writing component and is designed to improve students’ writing abilities. Third, the course challenges students intellectually and asks them to analyze and debate ethical and moral issues created by different economic and political choices.

This course focuses on the economy as a whole (the “macroeconomy”), starting with the meaning and measurement of important macroeconomic data (such as unemployment, inflation, and output) and moving on to the basic theory of production and the behavior of the overall economy. Topics include long-run economic growth and the standard of living; the causes and consequences of economic booms and recessions; the role of the financial sector, the banking system, and the central bank (the Federal Reserve in the U.S.); and the government debt and sovereign insolvency. The course examines the role of government monetary and fiscal policies in the US and around the world.

Business and Government Business and governments come into contact in many ways. This course will examine the intersection of Business and Government from the perspective of Economics and Politics. First, government impinges on business activity through taxation and regulation. The course will examine the pros and cons of different types of business taxation. The course will also look at regulatory policy such as anti-trust legislation and particular types of regulation that are deemed in the public interest (e.g. food, drugs, financial sector). Second, as a consequence of the intersections of business and government, business has a particular interest in influencing government action. The course will examine business lobbying and campaign finance. It will address the effects of business activities on the strength of democracy. Third, globalization has increased the role of government in business activity and the efforts of business enterprises to influence government policy. The course will examine whether or not this has been beneficial to economies. Similalry, the global economy has increased the number of issues where government and business roles might conflict such as the environmental impact of business activity and climate change. The course will examine the role of businesses in determining the nature of government responses to contemporary problems.

The seminar focuses on the major economic, business, and political challenges facing the world today. The emphasis in classroom discussions and projects is on exploring the nature of the challenges to prepare students for their future careers as leaders in business and government. Student seminar papers focus on a current issue of interest to the student as agreed upon by the instructor.

The main objective of this course is to investigate how the process of economic and political integration that has involved an increasing number of European countries has shaped and continues to shape economic outcomes across the Old continent. The emphasis is on the challenges and opportunities created by the integration process and on the role that EU institutions play in addressing the former and seizing the latter. The list of topics includes but is not limited to: Competition policy: How do EU competition law and its enforcement shape market structure and consumer welfare? Development policy: How does the European Commission leverage its structural and investment funds to foster development in the poorest corners of the Union? Migration: How did within-EU migration serve the purpose of withstanding asymmetric shocks and address structural imbalances? How is the EU addressing immigration from poorer neighboring areas? What is the impact of such immigration flows on Europe’s economic and political outcomes? Monetary and financial integration: What are the costs and benefits of a single currency? How did the Maastricht Treaty and the Fiscal compact address the issue of moral hazard in fiscal policy? What is the mandate of the European Central Bank? What was the role of the European institutions during the 2010-2014 sovereign debt crises? What is the purpose of the banking union? Tax policy: How much tax competition is there between EU countries? Is more coordination desirable? International trade: How does the EU leverage its size when negotiating trade deals with the rest of the world? Accession: How did conditionality in the EU accession process affect the former members of the Eastern bloc?

This course focuses on the economy as a whole (the “macroeconomy”), starting with the meaning and measurement of important macroeconomic data (such as unemployment, inflation, and output) and moving on to the basic theory of production and the behavior of the overall economy. Topics include long-run economic growth and the standard of living; the causes and consequences of economic booms and recessions; the role of the financial sector, the banking system, and the central bank (the Federal Reserve in the U.S.); and the government debt and sovereign insolvency. The course examines the role of government monetary and fiscal policies in the US and around the world.

This course is a high-level introduction to Political Economy, the academic discipline devoted to the systematic analysis of how economic allocations are shaped by the interactions between companies, government, and private citizens that occur in business and political arenas. It focuses on how demands expressed by voters, interest groups, and businesses, mediated by the political process, lead to policies that in turn effect economic opportunities for some of all members of society.

The main objective of this course is to investigate how the process of economic and political integration that has involved an increasing number of European countries has shaped and continues to shape economic outcomes across the Old continent. The emphasis is on the challenges and opportunities created by the integration process and on the role that EU institutions play in addressing the former and seizing the latter.