Termine:

Vorbesprechung:

16.04.2026 / 10:15-11:45 Uhr / Raum SCH 100.2


Block:

18.06.2026 / 12-18 Uhr / Raum SCH 109.6

19.06.2026 / 9-18 Uhr / Raum SCH 100.125


This course combines the fundamental elements of political economy, environmental economics and development economics. Why has climate change proven to be such a challenging issue for global governance? How will climate disruptions and decarbonization transform countries' economies and politics? Which groups will win or lose from these transitions, and how are they shaping climate governance today? This course will address these questions relying on cutting-edge research in climate politics and development economics. The course will consist of both lectures and seminars where the students discuss both various theoretical concepts and models and assess the advantages and drawbacks of different empirical approaches. We will focus on countries of the Global South and draw connections to core debates in development economics and political economy. The goal of the course is to demonstrate how to think critically about development theory and practice.



Learnweb:

Weitere Informationen zum Kurs finden Sie im Learnweb unter: (der Link wird frühzeitig bekannt gegeben)

und auf der Website des LÖP.

Kurs im HIS-LSF

Course Dates:

Introductory Event: Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, “Festsaal” in Schloss 5

Block Sessions: Monday, January 19, 2026, expected 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, “Festsaal” in Schloss 5 Tuesday, January 20, 2025, expected 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, “Festsaal” in Schloss 5

Notes: The duration of the block seminar depends on the number of participating students. The date of the introductory event is still subject to organizational confirmation. Additionally, two optional sessions will be offered for a methodological introduction to the statistical software Stata. All dates will be finalized and officially published by mid-August.

Assignment and Grading

Grading is based on a seminar paper, presentation of the results as well as oral participation during the block seminar.

Students are expected to conduct an original empirical regression analysis and to summarize and critically reflect on their results in the seminar paper (15 pages).

Learnweb:

Further information on the course will be made available in a timely manner in the Learnweb system and on the webpage of the Chair of Political Economy.

Termine: Einführungsveranstaltung: Donnerstag, 16.04.2026, 10:00-12:00Uhr Block: Montag, 22.06.2026, voraussichtlich 10:00-18:00Uhr, Landhaus Rothenberge Dienstag, 23.06.2026, voraussichtlich 9:00-16:00Uhr, Landhaus Rothenberge In diesem Seminar werden polit-ökonomische Modelle demokratischer und autokratischer politischer Systeme präsentiert und verglichen. Dabei geht es um Modelle kollektiver Entscheidungen in direkten und repräsentativen Demokratien, um systemvergleichende Ansätze, welche die Gemeinsamkeiten und die Unterschiede in der kollektiven Entscheidungsfindung herausarbeiten, um Politikkontrolle in alternativen Regimen und schließlich um Theorien des Übergangs von demokratischen zu autokratischen Systemen und umgekehrt. In dem Seminar werden im Schwerpunkt theoretische Ansätze behandelt. Hinweise: Der zeitliche Umfang des Blockseminars ist abhängig von der Anzahl der teilnehmenden Studierenden. Prüfungsleistung: Die Prüfungsleistung besteht aus dem Verfassen einer Seminararbeit (15 Seiten), der Präsentation dieser im Rahmen des Blockseminars sowie der aktiven Teilnahme während des Seminars. Für die Seminararbeit sind die Studierenden aufgefordert, eine eigenständige empirische Regressionsanalyse durchzuführen, auszuwerten und kritisch in einen breiteren Kontext der relevanten wissenschaftlichen Literatur zu stellen.

Kurs im HIS-LSF

Course Description: This seminar focuses on independent work with empirical research in the political economy of development. After an initial introductory meeting, students choose one of six thematic areas and, within that area, formulate their own research question. Examples of thematic areas include “Political Polarisation”, “Bureaucracy”, “Democracy Failures: Organised Crime”, “The Economic and Political Legacies of Dictatorship”, “Selection and the Quality of Politicians” and “Corruption and Political Connections”. Students address their chosen question by systematically reviewing and synthesising published empirical work. A key emphasis of the seminar is on evaluating how credible the empirical evidence is: students are expected to carefully assess research designs, identification strategies, data, and internal and external validity, and to reflect on what the evidence can and cannot tell us about causal effects and mechanisms. Theoretical contributions may be used to motivate hypotheses and mechanisms that are then examined in the empirical literature. The seminar is aimed at Bachelor students who are interested in the intersection of politics and economics in low- and middle-income countries and who would like to gain experience working with research papers.

Kurs im HIS-LSF

This course provides an introduction to core microeconomic questions in economic development. We combine key theoretical frameworks with empirical evidence to understand (i) why some countries remain poor and (ii) how markets and institutions function differently in low-income settings. Topics include human capital investments (education and health), labor markets, credit and savings constraints, land and property rights, and the role of the public sector and policy. Throughout the course, we emphasize how economists measure impacts and test mechanisms using modern micro-empirical methods and real-world applications. The course is designed for bachelor students with an interest in economic development and applied microeconometrics. Students will build intuition for development models, learn to critically assess empirical research, and develop the tools to evaluate policy interventions.

Kurs im HIS-LSF