Behavioral Political Economy
PPE 4600-301 Advanced Seminar in Political Science (Spring 2025)
- Instructor’s Email: phsieh@sas.upenn.edu
- Class Hours: MW 3:30pm-4:59pm
- Classroom: WILL 204
- Office Hours: M 1:30pm-2:30pm
- Office: 375 Cohen Hall
- Canvas Link: https://canvas.upenn.edu/courses/1841714
Course Information
Course Description
This course delves into the intersection of behavioral economics and political science. We’ll explore how psychology-informed economic models can explain individual and institutional decision-making in the political realm. By examining voting behavior, collective action, inequality, redistribution, public choice, and other key areas, this course highlights the interdisciplinary nature of behavioral political economy, drawing upon concepts from economics, psychology, and political science.
Textbooks
You can find all the required texts in the Course Materials @ Penn Libraries
tab on Canvas.
Recommended Textbooks:
- Hall, Andrew B. 2019. Who Wants to Run? How the Devaluing of Political Office Drives Polarization. Chicago London: The University of Chicago Press.
- Lupia, Arthur, and Mathew D. McCubbins. 1999. The Democratic Dilemma: Can Citizens Learn What They Need to Know? Repr. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
- Špecián, Petr. 2022. Behavioral Political Economy and Democratic Theory: Fortifying Democracy for the Digital Age. 1 Edition. New York, NY: Routledge.
Course Requirements and Grading
Your grade will be based on the following components: Reading Reflection Questions (30%), Class Participation and Discussion Questions (30%), and Quizzes (40%). Below is a brief description of each requirement:
Reading Reflection Questions (30%): For each set of assigned materials, there will be a few reflection questions. These will be posted on Canvas before class and are due the night before class. Late submissions will NOT be accepted.
Class Participation and Discussion Questions (30%): For each set of assigned materials, there will be a few open-ended discussion questions. These will be posted on Canvas before class, and you will be asked to share your responses during class. You are allowed up to two unexcused absences without penalty. For each additional unexcused absence, 5% of your final grade will be deducted, up to a maximum of 30%.
Quizzes (40%): There will be three in-class quizzes, each worth 20% of your grade. However, your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. This means your quiz grade will be based on the best two out of the three quizzes.
Grading Scale
93+ | A | 77-79 | C+ | 60-63 | D- |
90-92 | A- | 74-76 | C | 0-59 | F |
87-89 | B+ | 70-73 | C- | ||
84-86 | B | 67-69 | D+ | ||
80-83 | B- | 64-66 | D |
Course Schedule
The instructor reserves the right to make reasonable changes to the syllabus and class/reading schedule during the course of the semester. Any changes to the syllabus will be announced on Canvas.
Week 1 (January 15): Introduction
Week 2 (January 20 & 22)(No Monday class): A framework for the unification of the behavioral sciences
Week 3 (January 27 & 29):
- Monday
- Assigned materials:
- Not Another Politics Podcast Episode 69: Why Aren’t There More Moderate Politicians?
- Who Wants to Run Chapter 1
- Assigned materials:
- Wednesday
- Assigned materials: Who Wants to Run Chapter 2
Week 4 (February 3 & 5):
- Monday
- Assigned materials: Who Wants to Run Chapter 3 and 4
- Wednesday
- Assigned materials: Who Wants to Run Chapter 5
Week 5 (February 10 & 12):
- Monday
- Assigned materials: Who Wants to Run Chapter 6
- Wednesday
- Assigned materials: Kanthak, Kristin, and Jonathan Woon. 2015. “Women Don’t Run? Election Aversion and Candidate Entry.” American Journal of Political Science 59(3): 595–612. doi:10.1111/ajps.12158.
Week 6 (February 17 & 19):
- Monday
- Assigned materials: The Democratic Dilemma Chapter 2
- Wednesday
- Assigned materials: The Democratic Dilemma Chapter 3
Week 7 (February 24 & 26):
- Monday
- Quiz 1
- Wednesday
- Assigned materials: The Democratic Dilemma Chapter 4
Week 8 (March 3 & 5):
- Monday
- Assigned materials: The Democratic Dilemma Chapter 6 and 7
- Wednesday
Week 9 (March 10 & 12): Spring Term Break - No Classes
Week 10 (March 17 & 19):
- Monday
- Wednesday
- Assigned materials: Druckman, James N., and Mary C. McGrath. 2019. “The Evidence for Motivated Reasoning in Climate Change Preference Formation.” Nature Climate Change 9(2): 111–19. doi:10.1038/s41558-018-0360-1.
Week 11 (March 24 & 26):
Monday
Wednesday
- Quiz 2
Week 12 (March 31 & April 2):
- Monday:
- Assigned materials: Behavioral Political Economy and Democratic Theory Chapter 2
- Wednesday
Week 13 (April 7 & 9):
- Monday
- Assigned materials: Woon, Jonathan, Minsu Jang, Kira Pronin, and Jacob Schiller. 2024. “Discussion and Fairness in a Laboratory Voting Experiment.” Journal of Experimental Political Science 11(2): 224–36. doi:10.1017/XPS.2023.29.
Week 14 (April 14 & 16):
- Monday
- Levine, David K., and Thomas R. Palfrey. 2007. “The Paradox of Voter Participation? A Laboratory Study.” American Political Science Review 101(1): 143–58. doi:10.1017/S0003055407070013.
- Wednesday
Week 15 (April 21 & 23):
- Monday
- Assigned materials: Dimick, Matthew, David Rueda, and Daniel Stegmueller. 2018. “Models of Other-Regarding Preferences, Inequality, and Redistribution.” Annual Review of Political Science 21(1): 441–60. doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-091515-030034.
- Wednesday
Week 16 (April 28 & 30):
- Wednesday
- Quiz 3
Course Policies
Attendance
Please refer to the Course Requirements and Grading section.
Office Hours & Email Policy
If you have any questions about the course, feel free to contact/chat with me during office hours, right before/after class, or by email. Please include “PPE 4600-301” in the email subject and your full name in the main text. I will get back to you within two business days. Please follow up if I don’t respond within that timeframe.
Missed Quiz & Late Work Policy
There are no make-up quizzes except in cases of illness, death in the family, religious observance, or other unusual circumstances. Accommodations will be granted on a case-by-case basis in such cases.
Academic Integrity
Make sure you are familiar with Penn’s Code of Academic Integrity https://catalog.upenn.edu/pennbook/code-of-academic-integrity/. I have a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism and cheating, and all violations will result in substantial penalties. If you have questions about academic misconduct and plagiarism, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Use of AI
You can use generative AIs as a personal learning assistant, but keep in mind that if you rely on AIs for everything without digesting and evaluating their responses with your own knowledge, you are not truly learning. While generative AIs can answer simple questions, they may struggle with complex questions that are not within their training sets. Furthermore, the AI’s understanding may differ from my expectations in this class.
For open-book assignments, using AIs to proofread your drafts is an appropriate use. However, for closed-book quizzes and exams, using AIs will be considered a violation of Penn’s Code of Academic Integrity.
Resources
Academic Support and Disability Services
The Weingarten Center offers a variety of resources to support all Penn students in reaching their academic goals. All services are free and confidential. To contact the Weingarten Center, call 215-573-9235. The office is located in Stouffer Commons, 3702 Spruce Street, Suite 300.
Academic Support
Learning consultations and learning strategies workshops support students in developing more efficient and effective study skills and learning strategies. Learning specialists work with undergraduate, graduate, and professional students to address time and project management, academic reading and writing, note-taking, problem-solving, exam preparation, test-taking, self-regulation, and flexibility.
Undergraduates can also take advantage of free on-campus tutoring for many Penn courses in both drop-in and weekly contract formats. Tutoring may be individual or in small groups. Tutors will assist with applying course information, understanding key concepts, and developing course-specific strategies. Tutoring support is available throughout the term but is best accessed early in the semester.
Disability Services
The University of Pennsylvania is committed to the accessibility of its programs and services. Students with a disability or medical condition can request reasonable accommodations through the Weingarten Center website. Disability Services determines accommodations on an individualized basis through an interactive process, including a meeting with the student and a review of their disability documentation. Students who have approved accommodations are encouraged to notify their faculty members and share their accommodation letters at the start of each semester. Students can contact Disability Services by calling 215-573-9235.
Penn Wellness Resources
You can find a number of different health resources from Wellness at Penn (https://wellness.upenn.edu/).
SHAC (Student Health and Counseling)
SHAC (Student Health and Counseling) https://wellness.upenn.edu/student-health-and-counseling
- For Medical Services students can go to 3535 Market Street, 1st Floor. They are open M-F 9:00-4:30 and Saturday 9:00-11:30. For after-hours help call 215-746-3535 (24/7). If the issue is life threatening, call 911.
- For Counseling Services students can go to 3624 Market Street, 1st Floor West or call 215-898-7021. You or your students can call this number 24/7 and a clinician will answer. Counseling Services offers free, confidential mental health services to all students at Penn.
If You Have Financial Difficulties
It is important to me that you have the resources you need to be able to focus on learning in this course – this includes both the necessary academic materials as well as taking care of your day-to-day needs.
Students experiencing difficulty affording the course materials should reach out to the Penn First Plus office (pennfirstplus@upenn.edu).
Students who are struggling to afford sufficient food to eat every day and/or lack a safe and suitable space to live should contact Student Intervention Services (vpul-sisteam@pobox.upenn.edu).
Students may also wish to contact their Financial Aid Counselor or Academic Advisor about these concerns.
You are welcome to notify me if any of these challenges are affecting your success in this course, as long as you are comfortable doing so – I may have resources to support you.
Other Resources
- Penn First Plus (https://pennfirstplus.upenn.edu/)
- Cultural Resource Centers (https://global.upenn.edu/isss/cultural-resources)
- Marks Family Writing Center (https://writing.upenn.edu/critical/wc/)
Disclaimer
I reserve the right to change the syllabus at any time. I will notify you through Canvas if this occurs, but it is also important that you keep up-to-date with all readings related to your class.