Section I: Some Basics

Topic 1
Introduction: Government and markets; democracy and dictatorship.

Read Light, chapter 1.
Shepsle and Bonchek, chapter 2 (web)

Market experiment: You are required to participate in a market experiment, which will be explained in class on Wednesday, August 30. The experiment is available online at http://zuni.hss.cmu.edu/econu.html. You may begin experiment 1 (supply and demand) at 6:00pm on Wednesday, August 30. You must complete the experiment by 6:00pm Friday September 1.

Topic 2
Why government?
Constitutions, the problem of cooperation, the approximation of unanimity.

Read Light, chapter 2.
Shepsle and Bonchek, chapters 8 & 11 (web)
The Constitution of the United States, in Light, Appendix B.

Topic 3
Procedures and outcomes.

Read Shepsle and Bonchek, chapters 3 (entire), 4 (pp. 49-62, 80-81), 7 (pp. 166-177) (web)
For reference, see Zajac, Political Economy of Fairness (pp. 79-86, 91-94) (web).

Topic 4
Federalism and unitary government; separation of powers and parliamentary government

Read Light, chapter 3.
Federalist 10 and 51, in Light, Appendix C.
Shepsle and Bonchek, chapter 16 (pp. 432-442, 456) (web)

Section II: Preferences and their aggregation.

Topic 5
Citizenship, franchise, and participation.

Read Light, chapters 4 and 8.

Topic 6
Political parties and electoral institutions.

Read Light, chapter 6,
Shepsle and Bonchek, chapters 5 (pp. 82-91, 103-115), 7 (pp. 177-194).

Topic 7
Voting and elections.

Read Light, chapter 9.
(Read Shepsle and Bonchek, pp. 158-160, review chapters 3 and 4.) (web)

Topic 8
Interest groups.

Read Light, chapter 7.
Shepsle and Bonchek, chapter 9 (pp. 220-250) (web)

Section III: The Institutions of Policymaking

Topic 9
Legislative institutions and politics.

Read Light, chapter 10.
Shepsle and Bonchek, chapter 12, chapter 6 (pp.155-157) (web)

Topic 10
Executive institutions and politics I: The presidency.

Read Light, chapter 11.
Shepsle and Bonchek, chapter 14 (pp. 380-397, 403-404), and chapter 6 (pp. 148-150) (web)

Topic 11
Executive institutions and politics II: The bureaucracy.

Read Light, chapter 12.
Shepsle and Bonchek, chapter 13 (web)

Topic 12
Judicial institutions and politics.

Read Light, chapter 13.
Shepsle and Bonchek, chapter 15 (web)

Section IV: Outcomes

Topic 13
Rights.

Read Light, chapter 14.

Topic 14
Public policy.

Read Shepsle and Bonchek, chapter 10 (web)
Light, chapter 15.
Anonymous course comments and suggestions are welcome at: http://zia.hss.cmu.edu/eval.html