Economic concepts often give a fresh and unobvious perspective when applied to the study of how the state, law, and the economy functions and are interrelated. This course teaches students essential economic concepts in an intuitive manner relevant to the study of political economy.
Part One of the four-part course focused on developing the essential economic concepts which are applied to the study of the nature of the liberal democratic state and why it has to be a limited state in contrast to a populist democratic one.
This MOOC is Part Two. Part Two provides an in-depth exploration of the political and economic factors that influence power dynamics, governance, and growth across various political systems. Spanning four weeks, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of authoritarian rule, one-party governance, and their economic consequences. Additionally, the course will delve into the implications of rent-seeking behavior and examine the factors that contribute to the rise and decline of nations. By the end of this course, students will be equipped with a foundation in the rich interplay of politics, economics, and social change.
Part Three will cover the rule of law and its legal origins, consequences of legal origins for growth, law or state as determinants of economic growth, and transition from dictatorship to democracy and their permanence. Part Four is a study of nature of politics in pre-industrial states with examples drawn from China, Europe, the Islamic world, and India. We also discuss the relevance and limitations of the economic approach to the study of law and politics.
以經濟概念研究國家、法律和經濟作用，與及如何相互關聯時，往往產生一種新鮮但不明顯的觀點。 本課程以與政治經濟學研究相關的直觀方式教授學生基本經濟概念。
本課程共有四部份。課程的第一部份著眼於發展基本經濟概念，然後將這些應用於研究自由民主國家的性質，以及為什麼它必須是一個有限的國家，而不是民粹主義的民主國家。
本慕課是課程的第二部份。第二部份深入探討影響各種政治制度下權力動態、治理和增長的政治和經濟因素。課程為期四週，學生將對專制統治、一黨治理及其經濟後果有全面的了解。此外，本課程還將深入研究租尋行為的影響，並梳理促使國家興衰的因素。在完結課程後，學生將掌握政治、經濟和社會變革之間豐富相互作用的基礎知識。
稍後第三部份課程包括法治及其法律淵源，法律淵源對發展的影響，法律或國家作為經濟發展的決定因素，以及從獨裁到民主的過渡及其永久性。第四部份是對成為工業國家以前的政治性質的研究，其中的例子來自中國，歐洲，伊斯蘭世界和印度。 我們還討論了從經濟學角度研究法律與政治的相關性和局限性。
