VINCENZO GALASSO
Political Economics Textbook
Political Economics: Redistributive Policies
Bocconi University Press, 2018
Description:
This book is written for undergraduate students in economics and in political science who want to learn about the political economics of redistributive politics. While being initially offered only at Master and PhD level, political economics has recently gained interest even among undergraduate students, as understanding the complex political processes behind the policy-making of public policies has become ever more important. Yet, classical textbooks in political economics tend to be highly formalized and thus to target more advanced students. To fill this gap, this book provides a positive analysis of the political process behind the design and implementation of redistributive policies, by using the minimum level of mathematical formalization required, in an attempt to be accessible to undergraduate students in their second or third year. The book does not span the entire domain of political economics but concentrate of redistributive policies. This includes monetary transfers, such as pensions and unemployment benefits, as well as regulations, in the labor and product market, which allow to redistribute economic rents. Although the book is mostly self-contained, readers are expected to have a basic knowledge of microeconomics.