Michael S. Lynch

POLS 4073: Social Choice and Institutions
Fall 2016

Class Meeting: MWF 11:45-2:00, Journalism 504
Office Hours: Monday 1:30-3:30, Bank of America 417

Course Syllabus

  • Syllabus.
  • Updated Schedule.


    Upcoming Reading Assignments

  • 12/9 -- Final Exam, 12pm-3pm
  • 12/5 -- Public Goods Contribution Celebration/Luncheon
  • 12/2 -- Catch Up and Review
  • 11/30 -- Relic, Chapter 4
  • 11/28 -- Relic, Chapter 3
  • 11/18 -- Relic, Chapter 2


    Written Assignments

  • Assignment 7 (Wednesday 11/30) This assignment asks you consider the Moraski and Shipan nominations politics model.
  • Assignment 6 (Monday 10/31) This assignment asks you assess sincere and strategic voting on HR. 5325.
  • Assignment 5 (Wednesday 10/19) This assignment asks you to replicate Krehbiel's Pivotal Politics model for the current Congress.
  • Assignment 4 (optional - no due date). This assignment covers Krehbiel's Pivotal Politics book. While this assignment will not be collected and graded, I strongly encourage you to complete the assignment. The assignment contains questions that are likely to be very similar to some of the questions on the Oct. 7 midterm.
  • Assignment 3 (due Friday 9/30). The assignment covers chapter 4, and 5 of Strom and the Dougherty and Heckelman article.
  • Assignment 2 (due Wednesday 9/14). The assignment covers chapters 1, 2 and 3 of Strom. This assignment is due September 14.
  • Assignment 1 (due Friday 8/19): Summarize "Tragedy of the Commons" in 25 words or less (this may be harder than it sounds) and include an example of a contemporary "tragedy of the commons" (around 1 page). Be creative (pollution, fishing, and sheep grazing on a commons are not creative). This assignment is due during Friday's class.


    Course Resources

  • Final Exam Study Guide
  • Midterm Study Guide
  • Radiolab Show on Axelrod and Repeated Games