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2021/2022  BA-BPOLO1232U  Comparative Political Economy

English Title
Comparative Political Economy

Course information

Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BSc/MSc i International Business and Politics, BSc
Course coordinator
  • Hubert Buch-Hansen - Department of Organization (IOA)
Main academic disciplines
  • International political economy
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 21-05-2021

Relevant links

Learning objectives
At the end of the course students are expected to be able to:
  • Understand key contemporary Comparative Political Economy theories.
  • Systematically operationalise and apply such theories in synchronic or diachronic comparative analyses, based on the student’s independent research.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the main trends and dynamics in the transformation of advanced industrialised economies.
Examination
The course shares exams with
BA-BPOLO3207U
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

The course covers key theoretical approaches in the field of Comparative Political Economy (CPE), including for instance the ‘varieties of capitalism’ approach as well as constructivist and critical political economy theories. To assess the strengths and weaknesses of these theoretical approaches they are discussed in relation to concrete advanced industrialised economies.

The course takes both a synchronic and a diachronic comparative perspective on national economic systems, and focuses for instance on how various external pressures upon such systems are mediated by domestic actors and on how welfare states have been transformed. Moreover, various concrete policy areas and topics of relevance to state-business relations are dealt with in a comparative perspective.

 

The course shares its exam with Philosophy of Social Science. Students write a project report in groups. The project report applies CPE theory in an empirically grounded comparative analysis with a view to answering a clear and relevant research question formulated by the group. The project report should justify theoretical choices and account for methods, data and philosophy of science assumptions. It forms the basis of an oral group exam.

 

Description of the teaching methods
Lectures
Feedback during the teaching period
Students are offered a supervision meeting (15 minutes per student in the group). Feedback is also provided in the context of a workshop. At the exam, students receive feedback on their project report.
Student workload
Preparation time (readings, group work etc.) 76 hours
Lectures / class exercises / “homework cafés” / workshops etc. 32 hours
Exam (incl. preparation for the exam and actual exam period) 100 hours
Last updated on 21-05-2021