Markets, Democracy, and Public Policy

9 units · Undergraduate

Spring: 9 units Technological progress has repeatedly transformed society, from the Industrial Revolution to the rise of manufacturing to today's advances in artificial intelligence. These changes have generated enormous prosperity, but also inequality, economic insecurity, and political conflict. Understanding these transformations requires perspectives from economics, political economy, history, sociology, and public policy. This course examines how markets shape societies, and how societies shape markets in return. Students develop a compact but powerful analytical toolkit for understanding structural economic change, democracy, inequality, social insurance, and the policy challenges that accompany periods of rapid technological and economic transformation. Prerequisites: 73-102 or 73-104