Comparative Public Policy
TSE 504100 | 3 credits

Course Description

This course examines how public policies are formulated, adopted, implemented, and evaluated across different political and institutional contexts. Moving beyond a single-country focus, the course takes a comparative perspective on public policymaking in advanced democratic, developing democratic, and authoritarian systems. Students will analyze how political institutions, state capacity, economic structures, interest groups, bureaucracies, and international pressures shape policy outcomes across countries.

The course is organized into three parts. The first part introduces major theories and frameworks of the policymaking process, including institutions, agenda setting, decision-making, implementation, and external pressures. The second part applies these frameworks to substantive policy areas such as welfare states, regulation, industrial policy, globalization, immigration, and emerging technological and environmental challenges. The third part examines comparative policy processes across different political systems and regional contexts, including presidential, parliamentary, and authoritarian regimes, with focused case studies from Taiwan, Korea, Japan, China, Southeast Asia, the United States, and Europe.

The course is designed for students pursuing careers in government, international organizations, business, and research, and aims to develop both analytical and practical policy analysis skills. No advanced quantitative background is required, although students will be introduced to comparative policy research and evidence-based policy analysis throughout the semester.

Advanced Comparative Political Economy
TSED700100 | 3 credits

Course Description

This Ph.D.-level seminar examines the interaction between political institutions and economic outcomes across countries. Building on foundational theories of political economy, the course analyzes how democratic and authoritarian institutions shape markets, redistribution, development, and globalization. It emphasizes both domestic political mechanisms (e.g., elections, parties, and interest groups) and international forces (e.g., trade and capital mobility).

The course progresses from classical theories to contemporary theoretical and empirical research, with particular attention to:

• Institutional determinants of economic development;
• Political regimes and differences in their economic outcomes;
• Globalization, economic reform, and Asian political economy; and
• Emerging challenges such as inequality, populism, and democratic backsliding.

The course also incorporates regional perspectives—particularly Asian political economy—and recent developments in the field, equipping students to identify and develop original research agendas.