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POLECON 111Q: Game Theory and Mathematical Models in Politics

Preference to sophomores. Rational choice methodology in political science. Why have third-party candidates been unsuccessful in the U.S. when other countries often have numerous political parties? Does racial gerrymandering contribute to Republican control of the House of Representatives? Why do people vote, despite the slim chance that a single vote determines an election? Is there a difference between policy outcomes under unified government versus divided government.
Last offered: Winter 2007 | Units: 5

POLECON 230: Strategy Beyond Markets

This course develops techniques and tools to use in firms' strategic interactions beyond the market environment. We'll examine firms' interactions with stakeholders, constituents, and institutions, including interest groups, legislatures, regulatory agencies, courts, international organizations, and the public.n nTopics covered in the class include: intellectual property, health care reform, carried interest in private equity, strategic corporate social responsibility, and beyond market strategy for start-ups. The goal is to develop integrated strategies for optimal firm performance that combine strategies within and beyond markets.
Terms: Spr | Units: 2

POLECON 231: Strategy Beyond Markets: Challenges and Opportunities in Developing Economies

This course shares significant material with POLECON 230 and the goal of developing integrated strategies for optimal firm performance that combine elements within and beyond markets. POLECON 231 diverges from the base course to delve deeper into issues that are particularly salient for entrepreneurs in emerging and frontier markets. Using a combination of cases from developed and developing countries, we will expand the list of topics considered to include managing political risk and protecting the firm in the face of uncertain and discretionary regulatory environments. The objective is to provide a solid grounding in the techniques explored in 230, while refining skill sets and whetting appetites for investment in higher risk environments.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3

POLECON 239: MSx: Strategy Beyond Markets

This course addresses managerial issues in the social, political, legal, and ethical environments of business. Cases and readings emphasize strategies to improve the performance of companies in light of their multiple constituencies, in both international and US environments.nnnMost core courses focus on firms' interactions with customers, suppliers, and alliance partners in the form of mutually beneficial voluntary exchange transacted in markets. In contrast, this course considers the strategic interactions of firms with comparably important constituents, organizations, and institutions beyond markets. Issues considered include those involving activist and interest groups, the media, legislatures, regulatory and antitrust agencies, and international organizations such as the WTO.nnnIn many of the class sessions, we will draw on theoretical and empirical research in political economy, a field that is particularly relevant for understanding relationships between firms and governments, because (unlike most of economics) political economy focuses on interactions that are neither voluntary nor transacted via money.
Last offered: Summer 2013 | Units: 3

POLECON 349: The Business World: Moral and Spiritual Inquiry through Literature

This course uses novels and plays as a basis for examining the moral and spiritual aspects of business leadership and of the environment in which business is done. On the one hand literature is used as the basis for examining the character of business people, while on the other hand literature provides illumination of the cultural contexts of values and beliefs within which commercial activities take place in a global economy. The course is organized around the interplay of religious traditions and national identities. Classes are taught in a Socratic, discussion-based style, creating as much of a seminar atmosphere as possible. A two-text method is used, encouraging students to examine their own personal stories with as much care as the stories presented in the literature. This course will be graded on the basis of class participation and a final paper. There will be no exam.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3
Instructors: ; McLennan, S. (PI)

POLECON 528: Measuring Opinion and Sentiment

Measuring the opinions and sentiments of consumers and employees are important responsibilities of several areas of managerial responsibility including marketing, strategy, business development, and sales. We focus on three main approaches learning the preferences of key stakeholders in the design of products and services: (1) surveys; (2) experiments; and (3) "big data." Topics include sampling, questionnaire design, and experimental design and methodology. The main assignment will be a group project. Students should have either taken Data & Decisions or have some familiarity with statistics.nn
Terms: Spr | Units: 2

POLECON 555: New Opportunities in the Changing World of American Health Care

In this class, we will visit and analyze two health care organizations that are experimenting with innovative approaches to delivering care.The visits will highlight:nn- the new technologies that clinics and hospitals are using to improve health outcomes, reduce cost, and enhance customer service;nn- how clinics and hospitals are reorganizing the division of labor between physicians, nurses, and support workers to make optimal use of new technology;nn- the challenges of obtaining payment from an insurance system that has historically focused on the volume of services rather than quality or efficiency.nnnIn the first session, we will review how health care is financed in the U.S. and how the Affordable Care Act, the country's new health reform law, will change the finance and delivery of care starting in 2014. In the last session, we will discuss the two organizations that we visited, which aspects of their approaches are most (and least) likely to succeed, and which areas of the sector offer the greatest opportunities for the future. Students will be expected to participate in both visits and the discussions before and after them.
| Units: 1

POLECON 584: Managing Global Political Risk

In a globalized world, managers and investors are increasingly realizing that politics matter as much as economic fundamentals. Micro-level decisions made by local politicians in Brazil or India, national-level strategies of countries like China and Russia, and multi-national regimes, policies, and norms are all affecting global businesses in significant and often surprising ways. This course examines the full array of political risks confronting businesses today, from creeping expropriations to sudden shocks like national debt defaults and coups to emerging threats like cyber exploitation. Students will learn about impediments to assessing political risk and how to tackle them; develop strategies for managing political risk in a systematic way; and craft tools for mitigating the downside effects of political risk to business. Each session will include customized case studies and mini-simulations for students to walk in the shoes of senior managers confronting these challenges.
Terms: Win, Spr | Units: 1

POLECON 677: Political Economy and Political Behavior

This seminar will expose students to cutting-edge research in political behavior and political economy published in the leading political science (and other social science) journals. The aim is for students to learn the contemporary literature so that they can be producers of research. To that end, the required assignments in the class will be aimed at professional development: writing an original research note, writing a review, and delivering a scholarly presentation.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4

POLECON 680: Foundations of Political Economy

This course provides an introduction to political economy with an emphasis on formal models of collective choice, public institutions, and political competition. Topics considered include voting theory, social choice, institutional equilibria, agenda setting, interest group politics, bureaucratic behavior, and electoral competition. Also listed as Political Science 351A.
Terms: Aut | Units: 3

POLECON 681: Economic Analysis of Political Institutions

This course extends the foundations developed in P680 by applying techniques of microeconomic analysis and game theory to the study of political behavior and institutions. The techniques include information economics, games of incomplete information, sequential bargaining theory, repeated games, and rational expectations. The applications considered include agenda formation in legislatures, government formation in parliamentary systems, the implications of legislative structure, elections and information aggregation, lobbying, electoral competition and interest groups, the control of bureaucracies, interest group competition, and collective choice rules. Also listed as Political Science 351B.
Terms: Win | Units: 4
Instructors: ; Shotts, K. (PI)

POLECON 682: Testing Models of Governmental Decision-Making (POLISCI 351C)

This course surveys applications of formal models to several stages of decision making, primarily in the U.S. national government and with an emphasis on the legislative branch. The course begins with explicit consideration of issues in philosophy of science and introduces an analytic framework to be applied to specific research throughout remaining sessions. Substantive topics and applications covered include strategies of committees, roll call voting, policy formation, effects of special rules, congressional-presidential relations, and congressional-agency relations. Students should have taken POLECON 680 and POLECON 681. Also listed as Political Science 351C.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4
Instructors: ; Krehbiel, K. (PI)

POLECON 683: Political Development Economics

This course surveys emerging research in political economics as it applies to developing societies, emphasizing both theoretical and empirical approaches. Topics will include: corruption and "forensic" political economics, institutional reform and democratization, ethnicity, conflict and public goods provision, and the role of trade and financial innovations in political development. The aim of the course is to bring students to the frontier of the field and develop their own research. Graduate level proficiency in microeconomics and empirical methods will be required.
Terms: Win | Units: 4
Instructors: ; Jha, S. (PI)

POLECON 691: PhD Directed Reading (ACCT 691, FINANCE 691, GSBGEN 691, HRMGT 691, MGTECON 691, MKTG 691, OB 691, OIT 691, STRAMGT 691)

This course is offered for students requiring specialized training in an area not covered by existing courses. To register, a student must obtain permission from the faculty member who is willing to supervise the reading.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum | Units: 1-15 | Repeatable for credit

POLECON 692: PhD Dissertation Research (ACCT 692, FINANCE 692, GSBGEN 692, HRMGT 692, MGTECON 692, MKTG 692, OB 692, OIT 692, STRAMGT 692)

This course is elected as soon as a student is ready to begin research for the dissertation, usually shortly after admission to candidacy. To register, a student must obtain permission from the faculty member who is willing to supervise the research.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum | Units: 1-15 | Repeatable for credit

POLECON 802: TGR Dissertation (ACCT 802, FINANCE 802, GSBGEN 802, HRMGT 802, MGTECON 802, MKTG 802, OB 802, OIT 802, STRAMGT 802)

Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum | Units: 0 | Repeatable for credit

POLECON 330: Law and Economics for Corporate Strategy

This is an advanced version of the GSB's class on Strategy Beyond Markets. It is intended for students who have substantive experience working with/for governments, activist groups, the media, or heavily-regulated industries, and particularly those students with previous legal experience. The class may also appropriate for students who have academic backgrounds in political science or public policy.nnnCases and readings consider specific legal principles (e.g., antitrust, fiduciary duty, intellectual property) and how executives can anticipate and take effective action with regards to the threats and opportunities they present. The course will focus on legal doctrine within the United States, but will also consider the legal ramifications of corporate actions with regards to other nations' legal doctrine and international law. By the end of the course, students are expected to acquire not only a thorough understanding of the legal principles covered, but also insight into the appropriate market-based and non-market-based responses.
| Units: 3

POLECON 571: The Future of Growth: Developed and Developing World

The course deals with the recent (post war) sustained high growth in the developing world and its likely evolution and impact in the future. How are these kinds of growth rates possible? What accounts for the absence of growth in a part of the developing world? What are the key political ingredients? Attention will be given to the evolving global landscape surrounding this growth. What is the impact of this widening pattern of growth and are there natural brakes that may slow the process down or make it difficult for the non-G20 developing countries and their 1/3 of the world's population to start or sustain the high growth process. The class will attempt to identify and assess the impact of important global trends and challenges. Included in the latter will be governance issues. We will spend a little time on the impact of the 2008-2009 crisis, the transmission channels and lessons learned from the vantage point of developing countries.
| Units: 2
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