Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3206: The Political Economy of the State

This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the precise content might vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:

Term 1 The historical evolution of capitalism and nation-states

The development of modern European states: institutions and capacity
Capitalism and ‘the first wave of democratization’
Gender and economic and political change
Social spend, the welfare state and democracy
State led growth ’

Term 2 Varieties of capitalism in a global economy

‘Varieties of Capitalism’
Varieties of Capitalism beyond ‘the core’
The transformation of labour markets and institutions
Digital economy, platforms and regulation
Welfare and equality in contemporary capitalism

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
44	256	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	20	20 Lectures (1 hour each)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	20	20 seminars with student presentations (1 hour each)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	4	Assessment workshops (2 hours each)
Guided independent study	200	Reading, thinking and preparing for lectures and tutorials
Guided independent study	56	Assignment preparation

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

The module will be supported by ELE materials, including links to core texts

ELE – vle.exeter.ac.uk