ECC5871 Political economy: Institutions, order and evidence
Faculty of Business and Economics
ECC5871 Political economy: Institutions, order and evidence is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Business and Economics. It isn't offered in 2026. It needs ECB2731, ECW2731, ECC2000, ECF5927, ECF2731 or ECC5900.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Not offered
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ECC5871
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
After ECC5871
No unit lists ECC5871 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Overview
This unit is an introduction to contemporary political economy, emphasizing core theoretical concepts and controversies and empirical evaluation. Before political science or economics, there was political economy. This unit studies the interaction between the economy and political institutions: the formal laws, norms, conventions, and rules that shape economic activity. Special attention will be paid to canonical ideas of how these institutions impact the allocation and distribution of resources and economic development. This course combines both theory and evidence. You will be exposed to concepts of empirical research design, comparative inquiry, and causality. Topics covered: the theory and empirics of voting; violence and political order; governance and collective action; elites and theories of the state; institutions and growth; institutional change and path dependence.
Offerings in 2026
The 2026 handbook lists no offerings for ECC5871.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
understand the interaction between political institutions and markets
- 2
evaluate how formal and informal institutions impact economic activity and outcomes
- 3
critically consume contemporary empirical work in political economy and related disciplines
- 4
critically assess how institutions shape the behaviour of political actors.
Workload and teaching
- Tutorials12 hours
- Seminars24 hours
- Teaching approachEnquiry-based learning
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
- Teaching approachResearch activities
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities. You are expected to complete all pre-class activities prior to your scheduled class, and post-class activities should be completed after your scheduled class. Learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed, peer directed and online engagement activities.
This unit engages you in enquiry-based learning, where you will be encouraged to use your own knowledge to develop and engage in a process of enquiry, study and research to identify areas to be investigated and an approach to doing so.
This unit engages you in actively applying your knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.
This unit includes problem-based learning approaches, where you engage in research, integrate theory and practice and apply knowledge and skills to develop viable solutions in response to a problem or set of problems.
This unit includes case-based teaching, where you apply your knowledge and engage in analytical and reflective thinking to solve complex contextual scenarios. Activities are often designed so that there is not one clear answer, but you need to work together to examine, analyse and make decisions to resolve the situation.
This unit allows you to develop your research skills by engaging in structured inquiry using a systematic approach and discipline-specific methodologies.
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ECC5871?
You need ECB2731, ECW2731, ECC2000, ECF5927, ECF2731 or ECC5900 before you enrol.
When is ECC5871 offered?
ECC5871 has no offerings listed in the 2026 handbook.
How much work is ECC5871?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.