Programs
W. Allen Wallis Institute of Political Economy
The Wallis Institute supports graduate training in political economy for students in the Department of Economics and the Department of Political Science, both in the School of Arts & Sciences. In addition to course offerings, the Wallis Institute runs a seminar series that allows Rochester faculty and students to present their work, and it brings in top researchers across the field from other departments. The institute sponsors postdocs and other visitors and encourages interaction with graduate students. Also, the institute finds a small grant program for students to work with faculty members conducting applied, empirical research. Finally, students are invited to attend an annual conference organized by the institute that continues to serve as a focal point of the political economy field.
Information about faculty and research can be found on the W. Allen Wallis Institute of Political Economy website.
AdmissionsLink to section
Applying to Doctoral ProgramsLink to section
Prospective students who seek to specialize in this area should apply to the PhD program in either economics or political science.
AcademicsLink to section
Doctoral Degrees and RequirementsLink to section
Students admitted to the economics or political science program are subject to the requirements of their program, and they may choose to take advanced graduate seminars in political economy. The Wallis Institute provides a two-course sequence in political economy taught by the faculty from the parent departments. Students in economics may take the sequence and write a qualifying exam to fulfill the requirements for the political economy field, and students in political science may take the sequence as part of the requirements for the formal political theory field.
The first course in political economy sequence typically emphasizes foundational theory, especially connections to the theory of social choice. The goal of the course is to give students in political economy a firm theoretical grounding for their work. The second course may cover a range of topics from elections to legislative policy and makes use of methods from formal modeling, computational analysis, or empirical analysis.
Graduate Course TitlesLink to section
- PEC 575. Political Economy I
- PEC 582. Political Economy II