POEC 250 - Economic Liberalism and Its Critics

Institution:

Williams College

Subject:

Political Economy

Description:

Economic liberalism holds that, society is better off if people enjoy economic freedom. Its critics point to what they believe this position ignores or what it wrongly assumes, and hence, how it would make bad policy. This course explores the relationship between politics and economics by surveying influential works of political economy. Its first part examines major thinkers in relation to the historical development of capitalism in Western Europe and the United States: the classical liberalism of Adam Smith, Karl Marx's revolutionary socialism, and the reformist ideas of John Stuart Mill, and John Maynard Keynes. The second part considers more recent writings that revise and critique liberalism from a variety of perspectives, and then illustrates the contending perspectives with reference to important policy areas. The historical focus of the course permits you to appreciate the ongoing dialogue between classical and contemporary views of political economy, while classroom discussion involves frequent reference to current public policy issues.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Economics 110 and 120 or equivalent; Political Science 201 or 203 (may be taken concurrently with POEC 250) or AP credit in American Politics (or permission of instructor); open to non-majors

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.williams.edu

Phone Number:

(413) 597-3131

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Four-one-four plan

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