Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Kent State University/POL 30003 Political Economy (Fall)

Few relationships are as important and complicated as the connection between politics and economics. Students, in particular, know this each time they write a check to the university. State legislatures’ priorities affect the cost of university. The federal governments’ priorities affect the type and level of financial aid students receive. Politics also affects whether there is a job for you when you graduate, the type of job and whether the job offers benefits and overtime. Nearly every area of your life – health, education, employment, transportation – is shaped by the intersection of economics and politics. The objective of this class is to learn how politics and economics intersect to influence our lives. The course is structured around empirical, theoretical and normative questions.

By empirical, I mean that we look at the what: as in, what is the relationship between politics and economics? How does the government or what might be called “the state” shape the behavior of individuals and firms? For example, if we privatize prisons and public schools, does it change how we incarcerate and educate? Empiricism also means asking how we measure a successful economy or a successful policy? Is Gross Domestic Product the right measure? What about employment or inequality? Should stress or mental health be included in the calculation?

We also explore why things are the way they are by studying the major competing theories in political economy including: classical and neo-classical political economy; Marxism, institutional economics, and Keynesianism. Theories matter. They provide a lens through which to understand causes and solutions. If you think some empirical measures like unemployment or inequality are a problem, theories provide the tools and prescriptions to solve those problems. We study the theories on their own terms, consider the historical context in which the theories developed, and the theories relevance today.

Finally, normative questions are also key to understanding the intersection of politics and economics. By normative means debating what should be the relationship between the politics and economics. Is government best which governs least? Should public policies resemble markets as much as possible? If there is a role for regulation what should be the criteria for regulating a firm or individual? These are questions that will come up again and again in the class.

Week 1
Welcome to your Wikipedia assignment's course timeline. This page guides you through the steps you'll need to complete for your Wikipedia assignment, with links to training modules and your classmates' work spaces.

Your course has been assigned a Wikipedia Expert. You can reach them through the Get Help button at the top of this page.

Resources:


 * Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
 * Evaluating Wikipedia

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

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 ·        Sackrey and Schneider. 2002. “Political Economy Critique of Mainstream Economics” in Introduction to Political Economy (Washington DC). (Blackboard Learn) =====

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 ·        Charles Lindblom. 1984. “The Market as Prison” in The Political Economy (eds.) Thomas Ferguson and Joel Rogers. (Blackboard Learn) =====

3.      What’s the difference between political economy and economics?
Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (Because of Wikipedia's technical restraints, you may receive a message that you cannot create an account. To resolve this, please try again off campus or the next day.)

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 ·        [https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/10/money-measure-everything-pricing-progress/543345/ Eli Cook. 2017 “How Money Became the Measure of Everything” The Atlantic Magazine (Oct. 19).] =====

Exercise
Evaluate an article

Political Science

3.      What is the Theory of Comparative Advantage?
Choose your topic / Find your sources

Exercise
Add a citation

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 ·        Stilwell, 2012. “Chapter 18: Free-market Economics,” pp. 150-160. =====

4.      What is elasticity?
Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have questions using the Get Help button at the top of this page.

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

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·        [https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/03/corporations-people-adam-winkler/554852/ Adam Winkler, 2018. “’Corporations Are People' Is Built on an Incredible 19th-Century Lie” The Atlantic Magazine (March 5, 2018).] =====

3.      Where do banks’ power come from?
Guiding framework

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 ·        Sackrey and Schneider “John Maynard Keynes” in Introduction to Political Economy (Cambridge, MA: Dollars and Sense). =====

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5. What does Keynesianism mean? =====

5.      What does Goodwin mean by the rise of the management class?
Now that you've improved your draft based on others' feedback, it's time to move your work live - to the &quot;mainspace.&quot;

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 13

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 ·        James Q. Wilson. &quot;The Politics of Regulation&quot; in (eds.) Ferguson and Rogers, The Political Economy (Blackboard) =====

3.      What types of regulations are the least likely to pass?
 

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Exercise
Add links to your article

Now's the time to revisit your text and refine your work. You may do more research and find missing information; rewrite the lead section to represent all major points; reorganize the text to communicate the information better; or add images and other media.

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·        [https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/04/americas-dumbest-tax-loophole-the-florida-rent-a-cow-scam/255874/ Jordan Weissmann. 2012. “America's Dumbest Tax Loophole: The Florida Rent-a-Cow Scam” The Atlantic Magazine (April 17, 2012)] =====

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What role does the Federal Reserve play in shaping the economy? =====

Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. Remember to contact your Wikipedia Expert at any time if you need further help!

4.      How did money and financial interests shape the US and global financial crises?
It's the final week to develop your article.


 * Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
 * Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Wikipedia Expert at any time!

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 ·        [https://nyti.ms/2JWTEwi Thomas Edsall 2018. In Our ‘Winner-Take-Most’ Economy, the Wealth Is Not Spreading New York Times. (July 26th)] =====

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 ·        [https://nyti.ms/2OhUIyb Jim Tankersly. 2018. How the Trump Tax Cut Is Helping to Push the Federal Deficit to $1 Trillion New York Times. (July 25)] =====

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 ·         John Cassidy. 2018. What Is Donald Trump’s Trade Policy? Nobody Knows. The New Yorker (May 1). (Blackboard) =====

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 ·        Trump’s Economic Policy  (Wikipedia Article) =====

3.      What type of political economic theory informs his policies?
Guiding questions