This course is designed for policy students preparing for the Ph.D. political economy exam. It explores the existence, purpose, form, and consequences of institutions and organizations. Building on our answers to these questions, we will then explore issues of institutional design-that is, how to best create, maintain and reshape economic, political and social organizations. These issues go to the heart of public policy. Analysts can hardly understand a policy's likely effects if they do not understand the institutional context in which it will be implemented, or how to alter the institutional context to facilitate implementation. The class will be a combination of a seminar and a reading-study group. Although much of the material in the course is informal, the course assumes proficiency with relevant methodological tools taught in the political economy sequence. Enrollment is limited to policy students preparing for the Ph.D. political economy comprehensive exam; a limited number of other students may be admitted.
