PSC 324 Economic and Political Development
(ECO 224)
This deeply historical course examines the emergence of the sovereign state as the predominant organizational institution in politics around the world. Special attention will be given to the consolidation of states in modern industrialized society, as well as to the legacy of imperialism in Eastern Europe and the developing world. Key issues to be considered will include Europe’s economic and military dominance in the modern era, the role of nationalism in the dissolution of early empires, and the legacy of colonialism for the economic and political development of Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Special attention will also be given to an enduring question in comparative politics: Why are some countries rich and others poor? Not offered in 2011-2012.
Prerequisite: Political Science 122 or permission of the instructor.
