University of Oxford Crest

SPECIAL REGULATIONS FOR THE HONOUR SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS, AND ECONOMICS

To search within this page: Press CTRL + F (PC) or APPLE + F (Mac)

Ref: 11-30ar_S_R_H_S_OF_PHILOSOPHY_POLITICS_AND_ECONOMICS

[1] A

  1. [2] 1. The subject of the Honour School of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics shall be the study of modern philosophy, and of the political and economic principles and structure of modern society.
  2. [3] 2. Candidates must offer Philosophy, Politics, and Economics or such combination of these subjects as may be determined by the Division of Social Sciences.
  3. [4] 3. No candidate shall be admitted to examination in this school unless he or she either (a) has passed or been exempted from the first Public Examination or (b) has successfully completed the Foundation Course in Social and Political Science at the Department for Continuing Education.
  4. [5] 4. The examination for this school shall be under the joint supervision of the Social Sciences Board and the Humanities Board which shall appoint a standing joint committee to make regulations concerning it subject always to the preceding clauses of this sub-section.

[6] B

[7] Candidates may offer either Philosophy, Politics, and Economics or Philosophy and Politics or Politics and Economics or Philosophy and Economics.

[8] The highest Honours can be obtained by excellence in a minority of subjects offered provided that adequate knowledge is shown throughout the examination.

[9] Candidates must take eight subjects in all, and must satisfy requirements of particular branches of the school, including, in Philosophy, those set out in the Regulations for Philosophy in all Honour Schools including Philosophy, and, in Politics and Economics, requirements to take core subjects. In Politics, the core subjects are any two of 201, 202, 203, 214 and 220; in Economics the core subjects are 300, 301 and 302. In Politics, any of 201, 202, 203, 214 and 220 which are not offered as core subjects may be offered as further subjects.

[10] On entering his or her name for the examination by the date prescribed, each candidate must give notice to the Registrar of the papers being offered.

[11] For all Economics papers candidates are permitted the use of one hand-held pocket calculator from a list of permitted calculators published annually by the Department of Economics on its undergraduate website, which will be updated annually in the week prior to the first full week of Michaelmas Term.

  1. [12] A. Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. [13] Candidates must take (i) one of subjects 101, 102, 115, and 116, and (ii) subject 103, any two of subjects 300, 301 and 302 and any two of 201, 202, 203, 214 and 220. [14] Their other two subjects may be chosen freely from those listed under Philosophy and under Politics and under Economics, except that (i) if any subjects in Economics are chosen they must include the third core subject; (ii)certain combinations of subjects may not be offered (see List of Subjects below); and (iii) not all Economics subjects may be available in any particular year (see below for details). There may also be restrictions on numbers permitted to offer some Economics subjects in any particular year.
  2. [15] B. Philosophy and Politics. [16] Candidates must take (i) one of subjects 101, 102, 115, and 116, and (ii) subject 103, and any two of 201, 202, 203, 214 and 220. [17] Their other four subjects may be chosen freely from those listed under Philosophy and under Politics, except that (i) at least one must be a subject in Philosophy and the Regulations for Philosophy in all Honour Schools including Philosophy must be adhered to; (ii) at least one must be a further subject in Politics (other than the thesis (or the supervised dissertation) if offered); (iii) certain combinations of subjects may not be offered (see List of Subjects below).
  3. [18] C. Politics and Economics. [19] Candidates must take subjects 300, 301 and 302 and any two of 201, 202, 203, 214 and 220. [20] Their other three subjects may be chosen freely from those listed under Politics and under Economics except that (i) at least one must be a further subject in Politics (other than the thesis (or the supervised dissertation) if offered); (ii) one but only one may be a subject in Philosophy; (iii) certain combinations of subjects may not be offered (see List of Subjects below); (iv) not all Economics subjects may be available in any particular year (see below for details). There may also be restrictions on numbers permitted to offer some Economics subjects in any particular year.
  4. [21] D. Philosophy and Economics. [22] Candidates must take (i) one of subjects 101, 102, 115, and 116, and (ii) subjects 103, 300, 301 and 302. [23] Their other three subjects may be chosen freely from those listed under Philosophy and under Economics, except that (i) at least one must be a subject in Philosophy and the Regulations for Philosophy in all Honour Schools including Philosophy must be adhered to; (ii) one but only one may be a subject in Politics, selected from the following list: 201, 202, 214, 215, 216, 220; (iii) certain combinations of subjects may not be offered (see List of Subjects below); (iv) not all Economics may be available in any particular year (see below for details). There may also be restrictions on numbers permitted to offer some Economics subjects in any particular year.

[24] List of Subjects

[25] Certain combinations of further subjects may not be offered: in parentheses after the title of each further subject is the number of any other subject or subjects with which it may not be combined. The syllabuses for the subjects in this List are given in Regulations for Philosophy in all Honour Schools including Philosophy or in the schedule below.

[26] Philosophy

  1. [27] 101. [Until 1 October 2013: History of Philosophy from Descartes to Kant] [From 1 October 2013: Early Modern Philosophy]
  2. [28] 102. Knowledge and Reality
  3. [29] 103. Ethics
  4. [30] 104. Philosophy of Mind
  5. [31] 106. Philosophy of Science and Social Science (105, 124)
  6. [32] 107. Philosophy of Religion
  7. [33] 108. The Philosophy of Logic and Language
  8. [34] 109. Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Criticism
  9. [35] 110. Medieval Philosophy: Aquinas (111)
  10. [36] 111. Medieval Philosophy: Duns Scotus, Ockham (110)
  11. [37] 112. The Philosophy of Kant
  12. [38] 113. Post-Kantian Philosophy
  13. [39] 114. Theory of Politics (203)
  14. [40] 115. Plato Republic
  15. [41] 116. Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics
  16. [42] 117. Frege, Russell, and Wittgenstein (118)
  17. [43] 118. The Later Philosophy of Wittgenstein (117)
  18. [44] 119. Formal Logic
  19. [45] 120. Intermediate Philosophy of Physics
  20. [46] 122. Philosophy of Mathematics
  21. [47] 124. Philosophy of Science (105, 106)
  22. [48] 125. Philosophy of Cognitive Science
  23. [49] 126. The Philosophy and Economics of the Environment (321)
  24. [50] 150. Jurisprudence [Until 1 October 2013: (as specified in the regulations for the Honour School of Jurisprudence) (114, 203)] [From 1 October 2013: (The change to the method of examination by long essay under (b) as specified in the regulations for the Honour School of Jurisprudence, will apply to PPE candidates in the following manner:
    1. [51] (i) All Year 2 students in 2013-14 will undertake the long essay in the summer of 2014;
    2. [52] (ii) Year 3 students in 2013-14 will have been taught the traditional Jurisprudence course in 2012-13 (Year 2), and will sit an unseen written examination in 2013-14) (114, 203).]
  25. [53] 198. Special Subjects
  26. [54] 199. Thesis (298, 299, 399)

[55] Politics (including Sociology)

[56] Candidates should note that the Politics subjects available in any particular year will depend on the availability of teaching resources. Not all subjects will be available in every year and restrictions may be placed on the number of candidates permitted to offer certain subjects in any particular year.

  1. [57] 201. Comparative Government
  2. [58] 202. British Politics and Government since 1900
  3. [59] 203. Theory of Politics (114)
  4. [60] 204. Modern British Government and Politics
  5. [61] 205. Government and Politics of the United States
  6. [62] 206. Politics in Europe
  7. [63] 207. Politics in Russia and the Former Soviet Union
  8. [64] 208. Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa
  9. [65] 209. Politics in Latin America
  10. [66] 210. Politics in South Asia
  11. [67] 211. Politics in the Middle East
  12. [68] 212. International Relations in the Era of Two World Wars
  13. [69] 213. International Relations in the Era of the Cold War
  14. [70] 214. International Relations
  15. [71] 215. Political Thought: Plato to Rousseau
  16. [72] 216. Political Thought: Bentham to Weber
  17. [73] 217. Marx and Marxism
  18. [74] 218. Sociological Theory
  19. [75] 219. The Sociology of Post-Industrial Societies
  20. [76] 220. Political Sociology
  21. [77] 222. Labour Economics and Industrial Relations (307)
  22. [78] 223. The Government and Politics of Japan
  23. [79] 224. Social Policy
  24. [80] 225. Comparative Demographic Systems (315)
  25. [81] 226. Quantitative Methods in Politics and Sociology (313)
  26. [82] 227. Politics in China
  27. [83] 228. The Politics of the European Union
  28. [84] 297. Special subject in Politics (199, 298, 299, 399)
  29. [85] 298. Supervised dissertation (199, 297, 299, 399)
  30. [86] 299. Thesis (199, 298, 399)

[87] Economics

[88] Not all Economics subjects may be offered in any particular year. There may also be restrictions on numbers permitted to offer some Economics subjects in any particular year.

[89] Economics subjects available to candidates in any particular year will depend on the availability of teaching resources. Details of the choices available for the following year will be announced at the Economics Department's ‘Options Fair’ at the beginning of the fourth week of the first Hilary Full Term of candidates' work for the Honour School, and will be posted on the Department's undergraduate web-site at the same time.

  1. [90] 300. Quantitative Economics
  2. [91] 301. Macroeconomics
  3. [92] 302. Microeconomics
  4. [93] 303. Microeconomic Theory
  5. [94] 304. Money and Banking
  6. [95] 305. Public Economics
  7. [96] 306. Economics of Industry
  8. [97] 307. Labour Economics and Industrial Relations (222)
  9. [98] 308. International Economics
  10. [99] 309. Command and Transitional Economies
  11. [100] 310. Economics of Developing Countries
  12. [101] 311. British Economic History since 1870
  14. [102] 314. Econometrics
  15. [103] 315. Comparative Demographic Systems (225)
  16. [104] 316. Economics of OECD Countries
  17. [105] 317. Economic Decisions within the Firm
  18. [106] 318. Finance
  19. [107] 319. Game Theory
  20. [108] 320. Mathematical Methods
  21. [109] 321. The Philosophy and Economics of the Environment (126)
  22. [110] 399. Thesis (199, 298, 299)
  23. [111] The Department of Economics should be consulted to confirm numbering and titles in the above list.

[112] Schedule

[113] The schedule of subjects in Philosophy is given in the Regulations for Philosophy in all Honour Schools including Philosophy

  1. [114] 201. Comparative Government [115] Candidates may be expected to show knowledge of the following topics: political parties and party systems; electoral systems; political executives; legislatures; bureaucracies; federalism and other forms of territorial decentralisation; judiciaries; interest groups; forms of government and the constitutional allocation of power between institutions; democratisation. Questions may be set regarding the nature, origins, and political effects of the individual institutions in the preceding list. Candidates should answer all questions comparatively. They should show knowledge of relevant empirical material, and use evidence, comparative methods, and theoretical perspectives appropriately.
  2. [116] 202. British Politics and Government since 1900 [117] British politics (including the major domestic political crises, ideologies and political issues) and the evolution of the British political and constitutional system (including elections and the electoral system, political parties, parliament, the cabinet system, and machinery of government). ‘Political issues’ will be taken to include the political implications of social and economic development and the domestic implications of foreign and imperial policy. Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of developments both before and since 1951.
  3. [118] 203. Theory of Politics1 [119] The critical study of political values and of the concepts used in political analysis: the concept of the political; power, authority, and related concepts; the state; law; liberty and rights; justice and equality; public interest and common good; democracy and representation; political obligation and civil disobedience; ideology; liberalism, socialism, and conservatism.
  4. [120] 204. Modern British Government and Politics [121] A study of the structure, powers, and operations of modern British Government, including its interaction with the European Union: the Crown, Ministers, Parliament, elections, parties and pressure groups, the legislative process; Government departments, agencies, and regulatory bodies; local authorities; administrative jurisdiction and the Courts. Candidates will be expected to show familiarity with certain prescribed documents, a schedule of which may be revised annually. Any revisions to the schedule shall apply only to candidates taking the Final Honour School five terms hence, and if no proposals for revising the schedule have been received by noon on Friday of Week One of Hilary Term, the previous year's list shall stand. The revised schedule will be displayed on the PPE syllabus notice-board at the Department of Politics and International Relations, Manor Road Building, and on the Department's website.
  5. [122] 205. Government and Politics of the United States [123] The constitution; federalism and separation of powers; the presidency; congress; the federal courts; the federal bureaucracy; parties and the party system; electoral politics; mass media; interest groups; state and local politics; processes of policy-formation and implementation; political culture.
  6. [124] 206 Politics in Europe [125] This paper is a comparative study of the national party and institutional systems of Europe, and of comparative issues in European politics, including democratisation, institutional relations, political economy and party politics. Candidates are expected to show a broad knowledge of European politics, and may where appropriate include reference to the UK in answers, but should not answer any question mainly or exclusively with reference to the UK.
  7. [126] 207. Politics in Russia and the Former Soviet Union [127] Candidates will be required to show knowledge of the transformation of the Soviet system from 1985, and an understanding of the politics of countries of the former Soviet Union with respect to their formation, post-Soviet transitions, regime types, institutional arrangements, party systems, electoral processes, ethnic and clan composition, political economy, corruption, and the influence of external factors.
  8. [128] 208. Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa [129] Candidates will be required to show knowledge of the politics of the countries of sub-Saharan Africa with respect to their political institutions, political sociology, and political economy. The following topics may be considered: nationalism; forms of government, civilian and military; parties and elections; conditions for democracy; class, ethnicity, religion, and gender; business, labour, and peasantries; structural adjustment and agricultural policies; the influence of external agencies.
  9. [130] 209. Politics in Latin America [131] Candidates will be required to show knowledge of politics in Latin America; of the structure of government of the major states of the area; and of their political sociology and political economy. The following topics may be considered: presidential systems; the role of congress; public administration; party and electoral systems; the politics of major groups such as the military, trade unions and business groups, and the churches; political ideologies; political movements; the politics of economic stabilization; the politics of gender; theories of regime breakdown, and of democratic transition and consolidation; the influence of external factors.
  10. [132] 210. Politics in South Asia [133] Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of political developments in South Asian countries since their independence, with regard to their political institutions, political sociology, and political economy. The following topics may be considered: the nature of the state; government and political institutions; party and electoral systems; politics in the provinces or states of a federation; the evolution of political ideologies; the politics of gender, caste, religion, language, ethnic regionalism, and national integration; the political economy of development, social change, and class relations; ‘New’ social movements and Left politics; regional conflicts in South Asia and the influence of external factors on South Asian politics. South Asia is taken to include India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
  11. [134] 211. Politics in the Middle East [135] Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of the politics of the Middle East with regard to their political institutions, political sociology, and political economy. The following topics may be considered: the emergence of the state system in the modern Middle East; the influence of colonialism and nationalism in its development; the military in state and politics; party systems and the growth of democratic politics; the politics of religion; women in the political sphere; the influence of major inter-state conflicts and external factors on internal politics. The Middle East is taken to comprise Iran, Israel, Turkey, and the Arab States.
  12. [136] 212. International Relations in the Era of Two World Wars [137] The relations between the major powers; the twentieth-century origins of the First World War and the origins of the Second World War; war aims, strategies, and peace-making; the disintegration of war-time alliances; the League of Nations and the establishment of the United Nations; the impact of major political movements (Communism, Fascism, nationalism) on international society; monetary and economic developments as they affected international politics. [138] Knowledge of events before 1900 and after 1947 will not be demanded, nor will questions be set on extra-European developments before 1914.
  13. [139] 213. International Relations in the Era of the Cold War [140] The relations among the major powers, 1945-91, including domestic and external factors shaping foreign policy; the origins and course of the cold war, including detente and the end of the cold war; East-West relations in Europe with particular reference to the foreign policies of France and the Federal Republic of Germany; European integration; the external relations of China and Japan, particularly with the Soviet Union and the United States; the Soviet Union's relations with Eastern Europe; decolonization and conflict in the developing world.
  14. [141] 214. International Relations [142] The primary topics will be: the competing approaches to the study of international relations; the principal institutions of international politics; contemporary patterns of war and peace; globalization. Other topics will include: foreign-policy analysis; international law; regional organizations; international political economy; ethnic, national, and cultural sources of insecurity; power, interdependence, and dependency. Candidates will be required to illustrate their answers with contemporary or historical material. They will be expected to know the major developments in international affairs from 1990 onwards, and to cite these wherever appropriate. They may also be given the opportunity to show knowledge of earlier developments; but questions referring specifically to events before 1990 will not be set.
  15. [143] 215. Political Thought: Plato to Rousseau [144] The critical study of political thought from Plato to Rousseau. Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of at least three of the following authors, with a primary though not necessarily exclusive focus on the following texts: Plato, The Republic; Aristotle, Politics; Aquinas: Political Writings, ed. R. W. Dyson 2002; Machiavelli, The Prince, The Discourses ed. Plamenatz 1972; Hobbes Leviathan Parts I and II; Locke, Second Treatise of Civil Government; Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws, Books I-VIII, XI, XII, XIX; Hume, Moral and Political Writings ed. Aiken 1948; Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, The Social Contract. Questions will also be set on the following topics: theories of political stability and civic virtue; the relationship between the personal and the political; utopian political thought; theories of natural law and justice. In answering examination questions, candidates are expected to discuss the primary texts identified in this rubric, but may also draw on their knowledge of a range of other primary texts from the canon of political thought to the end of the eighteenth century, as indicated in the bibliography issued by the Department of Politics and International Relations.
  16. [145] 216. Political Thought: Bentham to Weber [146] The critical study of political and social thought from Bentham to Weber. Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of at least three of the following authors, with a primary though not necessarily exclusive focus on the following texts: Bentham, Political Thought ed. Parekh; J. S. Mill, On Liberty, essays ‘The Spirit of the Age’, ‘Civilization’, ‘Bentham’, ‘Coleridge’; Hegel, The Philosophy of Right, Lectures on the Philosophy of World History (Introduction) (CUP edn.); Saint-Simon, Selected Writings 1760-1825, ed. Taylor 1975; Tocqueville, Democracy in America - Everyman edition (Vol. I: Introduction, chapters 2-6, the last section of chapter 8, chapters 11, 12, the first section of chapter 13, chapters 14-17; Vol II: Book II, chapters 1-8, 16-20, Book III, chapters 1, 2, 13-21, Book IV, chapters 1-8); Marx, Selected Writings, ed. McLellan, nos. 6-8, 13, 14, 18, 19, 22, 23, 25, 30, 32, 37-40; Weber, From Max Weber, eds. Gerth and Mills; Durkheim, The Division of Labour in Society (Prefaces, Introduction, Book I, chapters 1-3, 7; Book 2, chapters 1, 3; Book 3, chapters 1, 2; Conclusion), Professional Ethics and Civic Morals, chapters 4-9. Questions will also be set on the following topics: state, society, and the family; individual and community; history and social change; science and religion. In answering examination questions candidates are expected to discuss the primary texts identified in this rubric, but may also draw on their knowledge of other primary texts from the canon of modern social and political thought, as indicated in the bibliography issued by the Department of Politics and International Relations.
  17. [147] 217. Marx and Marxism [148] The study of the ideas of Marx and Engels, of later Marxists and critics of Marxism. Candidates will be expected to study Marxism as an explanatory theory, and also to examine its political consequences. They will be required to show knowledge of the relevant primary texts as specified in the bibliography issued by the Department of Politics and International Relations. Questions will also be set on some later Marxists, as indicated in the bibliography.
  18. [149] 218. Sociological Theory [150] Theoretical perspectives including rational choice; evolutionary psychology; interpersonal interaction; social integration and networks; functionalism. Substantive problems including stratification; gender; race and ethnicity; collective action; norms; ideology. Candidates will be expected to use theories to explain substantive problems.
  19. [151] 219. The Sociology of Post-Industrial Societies [152] Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of the following aspects of the social structure of urban-industrial societies: occupation and economic structure; social stratification and mobility; education; the social significance of gender and ethnicity; demography and the family; the social structure of religion; and the impact on society of the state and politics. They must show knowledge of modern Britain and at least one other industrial society, and of the main general theories of industrial society.
  20. [153] 220. Political Sociology [154] The study of the social basis of political competition (including social cleavages and identities), social and political attitudes (including political culture), processes of political engagement and competition (including elections, protest politics, elite formation and the mass media), the social basis for the formation, change, and maintenance of political institutions (including democracy and welfare states). Candidates must show knowledge based on the study of at least three major industrial countries.
  21. [155] 222. Labour Economics and Industrial Relations [156] As specified for 307 below.
  22. [157] 223. The Government and Politics of Japan [158] The constitutional framework and structure of government; parliamentary and local politics; the electoral and party systems; the role of corporate interests and pressure groups; the bureaucracy; foreign policy. Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of Japanese political history since 1945 and of the social context of Japanese political institutions and policy-making.
  23. [159] 224. Social Policy [160] The nature and development of social policy and welfare states. Public, private and informal systems of welfare. Alternative definitions and explanations of poverty and deprivation. The sources, growth, organisation and outcomes of British social policy with special reference to health, housing, social security, and education.
  24. [161] 225. Comparative Demographic Systems [162] As specified for 315 below.
  25. [163] 226. Quantitative Methods in Politics and Sociology [164] Candidates will be expected to show an understanding of applications of quantitative methods in politics and sociology including the following: the principles of research design in social science: data collection, the logic of casual inference, and comparative method; major statistical methods and concepts: types of random variables, independence, correlation and association, sampling theory, hypothesis testing, linear and non-linear regression models, event-history analysis, and time-series. Candidates will also be expected to interpret information and show familiarity with major methodological debates in politics and sociology.
  26. [165] 227. Politics in China [166] Candidates will be required to show knowledge of the government and politics of China since 1949, and with particular reference to the period since 1978, with respect to its political institutions, political sociology, and political economy. The following topics may be considered: the Communist party and its structure, urban and rural reform since 1978, foreign relations, nationalism, elite politics, gender, legal culture, and the politics of Hong Kong and Taiwan.
  27. [167] 228. The Politics of the European Union [168] This paper focuses on the study of the history, institutions, and policy processes of the European Union. It includes analysis of the history and theories of the European integration process. Candidates are expected to show knowledge of politics of the European Union, including the main institutions of the EU, decision making procedures and specific policies, as well as relations between the EU and the rest of the world. The paper also focuses on democracy in the European Union and the impact of European integration on the domestic politics and policies of the member states.
  28. [169] 297. Special Subject in Politics (199, 298, 299, 399) [170] Special Subjects will be examined by examination paper. No candidate may offer more than one Special Subject. A Special Subject may not be offered by candidates also offering a thesis (199, 299, 399) or Supervised dissertation (298). Depending on the availability of teaching resources, not all Special Subjects will be available to all candidates in every year. Candidates may obtain details of the choice of Special Subjects for the following year by consulting lists posted at the beginning of the fourth week of Hilary Term in the Department of Politics and International Relations and circulated to Politics tutors at colleges admitting undergraduates.
  29. [171] 298. Supervised dissertation2 [172] With the approval of the Politics sub-faculty, members of staff willing to supervise a research topic shall through the Administrator of the Department of Politics and International Relations place on the noticeboard of that Department not later than Friday of fourth week of Hilary Term a short description of an area of politics (including international relations and sociology) in which they have a special interest, a list of possible dissertation topics lying within that area, an introductory reading list, and a time and place at which they will meet those interested in writing a dissertation under their supervision for assessment in the following year's examination. Members of staff agreeing to supervise an undergraduate shall provide him or her with tutorials or intercollegiate classes equivalent to a term's teaching for a normal paper, the cost of such tutorials or classes to be met by the college. They shall notify the colleges of the undergraduates involved and the Administrator of the Department of Politics and International Relations. Candidates offering a thesis (199, 299, or 399) or a Special Subject in Politics (297) may not also offer a supervised dissertation. The regulations governing the length, the format, and the time, date and place of submission of a supervised dissertation shall be the same as those for the thesis. Every candidate who wishes to submit a supervised dissertation shall give notice of his or her intention to do so to the Registrar on his or her examination entry form. Every candidate shall sign a certificate to the effect that the supervised dissertation is his or her own work and that it has not already been submitted, wholly or substantially, for another Honour School of this University or for a degree of any other institution. The supervisor(s) shall countersign the certificate confirming that to the best of his, her or their knowledge and belief these statements are true, and shall also submit a short statement of the supervision provided, together with the original specification of the research topic and any other course material provided. The candidate's certificate and the supervisor's or supervisors' statements shall be presented together with the supervised dissertation. Candidates are warned that they should avoid repetition in papers of material in their supervised dissertation and that substantial repetition may be penalized. Every candidate who wishes to have his or her supervised dissertation returned is required to enclose with the thesis, in an envelope bearing only his or her candidate number, a self-addressed sticky label.
  30. [173] 299. Thesis [174] As specified for 399 below.
  31. [175] 300. Quantitative Economics [176] Unconditional Modelling: Descriptive statistics, basic statistical distributions and applications to economic data, sampling and hypothesis testing. [177] Conditional Modelling: Binary data with regressors, regression analysis with two and three variables, testing and interpretation of regression results. [178] Time series Modelling: introduction to issues of temporal correlation and regression analysis. [179] Empirical applications in micro and macroeconomics: Interpretation of current literature in two areas of microeconomics and two areas of macroeconomics. Topics will be announced at the beginning of Michaelmas Term for examination in Trinity Term two years later. [180] The examination will include questions covering theoretical issues and interpretation of econometric results.
  32. [181] 301. Macroeconomics [182] Macroeconomic theories and their policy implications; macroeconomic shocks and fluctuations; unemployment and inflation; exchange rates; interest rates and the current account; intertemporal adjustment, growth theory; monetary and fiscal policy. [183] The paper will be set in two parts. Candidates will be required to answer questions from both parts. Part A will consist of short questions and Part B will consist of longer questions.
  33. [184] 302. Microeconomics [185] Risk, expected utility theory; welfare economics and general equilibrium, public goods and externalities; game theory and industrial organisation; information economics; applications of microeconomics. [186] The paper will be set in two parts. Candidates will be required to answer questions from both parts. Part A will consist of short questions and Part B will consist of longer questions.
  34. [187] 303. Microeconomic Theory [188] Rigorous study of core elements of microeconomic theory. Topics may (but not necessarily) include: decision making under risk and uncertainty; theory of search under uncertainty; models of contracting under asymmetric information; theory of general economic equilibrium; theory of social choice. A descriptive list of the topics will be published on the Economics website before the beginning of the year in which the course is taught and examined. [189] Questions will be set requiring candidates to solve problems and demonstrate conceptual understanding of core elements of microeconomic theory.
  35. [190] 304. Money and Banking [191] The role of money in general equilibrium models. Aggregate models of price and output fluctuations. The role of banks and other financial intermediaries. Models of monetary policy. Inflation targeting and other policy regimes. Money and public finance. The transmission of monetary policy to asset prices and exchange rates. [192] The paper will be set in two parts. Candidates will be required to show knowledge on both parts of the paper. Part A will comprise questions requiring analysis of specific models. Part B will comprise essay questions requiring discussion of the theoretical and empirical literature.
  36. [193] 305. Public Economics [194] Welfare measurement and cost-benefit analysis, with applications to healthcare and the environment; taxes and transfers; optimal income and commodity taxation, and intertemporal public finance including pensions provision; government expenditure, including healthcare and education; political economics.
  37. [195] 306. Economics of Industry [196] Market structures, costs and scale economies, oligopoly and the theory of games, entry, empirical studies of pricing and profitability, advertising, product differentiation, managerial theories of the firm, mergers and vertical integration, innovation, public policy towards market structure and conduct, regulation. [197] Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of empirical studies relating to one or more of the advanced industrial economies, but questions relating to specific industrial economies will not be set.
  38. [198] 307. Labour Economics and Industrial Relations3 [199] [Until 1 October 2013: Employer-employee relations; human resource management including the role of government; trade unions and other collective groupings; the theory and practice of collective bargaining; the application of economic analysis to labour markets; economic aspects of trade unions; the economics of labour policy; factors affecting the distribution of earnings.] [From 1 October 2013: The analysis of labour markets from both microeconomic and macroeconomic perspectives; collective bargaining and trade unions; personnel economics; the economics of education and human capital; wage determination and inequality.]
  39. [200] 308. International Economics [201] Theories of international trade and factor movements, positive and normative, and their application to economic policy and current problems. Theory and practice of economic integration. Current problems of the international trading system. Methods of balance of payments adjustment and financing; policies for attaining internal and external balance. Behaviour of floating exchange rates: theory and evidence. Optimum Currency Areas and Exchange Rate Regimes. International Policy Co-ordination and the International Monetary System.
  40. [202] 309. Command and Transitional Economies [203] This paper covers the traditional command economy, attempts to reform it in the direction of market socialism, and transition to a market economy. Candidates will be expected first to be familiar with the evolution of the command economy in the pre-war USSR (War Communism, New Economic Policy, Stalinist central planning) and in the post-war period in the USSR, Eastern Europe and China. But emphasis is placed on knowledge of the features and policies of the main variants of the command system (e.g. central planning, performance of state enterprises, fiscal and monetary policies, foreign trade), rather than of the details of economic history or experiences of countries. The second area includes the 1965 reform and perestroika in the USSR, the New Economic Mechanism in Hungary, self-management in Yugoslavia, and post-1978 reforms in China. The third area comprises the theory of the transition from command to market systems, as well as policies and economic developments in the major countries after 1989. Although most questions will deal with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, at least two will relate fully or partially to the economy of China.
  41. [204] 310. Economics of Developing Countries [205] Theories of growth and development. Poverty and income distribution. Human resources. Labour markets and employment. Industrialisation and technology. Agriculture and rural development. Monetary and fiscal issues; inflation. Foreign trade and payments. Foreign and domestic capital; economic aid. The role of government in development; the operation of markets. [206] Where appropriate, candidates will be expected to illustrate their answers with knowledge of actual situations.
  42. [207] 311. British Economic History since 1870 [208] Trends and cycles in national income, factor supplies, and productivity; changes in the structure of output, employment, and capital; management and entrepreneurship; the location of industries, industrial concentration, and the growth of large firms; prices, interest rates, money, and public finance; wages, unemployment, trade unions, and the working of the labour market; the distribution of incomes, poverty, and living standards; foreign trade, tariffs, international capital movements, and sterling; Government economic policy in peace and war. [209] Questions concerned exclusively with the periods before 1900 or after 1973 will not be set.
  44. [210] [Until 1 October 2013: 313. Statistical Methods in Economics [211] Candidates will be required to answer four questions. Each candidate must offer at least one question from Part A and at least one question from Part B. [212] Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of the following topics: [213] Part A (Statistical Theory). Probability (concepts of probability, probability laws, Bayes' theorem); random variables (moments, sums and differences of random variables, frequency and cumulative distributions, joint random variables, conditional and marginal distributions); distribution theory (standard distributions including the binomial, Poisson, and normal distributions); measures of association (correlation, rank correlation, and multiple correlation); hypothesis testing (concepts of hypothesis testing, size and power, use of normal, t, χ2 and F distributions); sampling theory (including properties of estimators); linear models (including regression, analysis of variance, logistic and loglinear models). [214] Part B (Economic Statistics) (questions may be asked which involve simple calculations). Applications of the theory defined by Part A to economic topics which may be drawn from areas related to the scope of the Microeconomics and Macroeconomics papers; the preparation and presentation of economic statistics (histograms, seasonal adjustment, issues relating to data quality); index numbers (including Paasche, Laspeyres and Divisia indices); size distributions (including measures of concentration, inequality and poverty).]
  45. [215] 314. Econometrics
  46. [216] The paper will be set in two parts. Candidates will be required to show knowledge of both parts.
    1. [217] I Multiple regression: interpretation, estimation, inference, prediction. [218] Both cross-sectional and time series implementations will be discussed. [219] A variety of econometric topics will be considered drawn from the following list: maximum likelihood, endogeneity and instrumental variables, unit roots and cointegration, limited dependent variable models, duration models and panel data models.
    2. [220] II Application of the introduced econometric methods to economic problems.
  47. [221] A descriptive list of the topics will be published on the Economics website before the beginning of the year in which the course is taught and examined.
  48. [222] 315. Comparative Demographic Systems4 [223] Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of controversies in demographic theory (Malthus and his critics, Easterlin, Caldwell, the New Home Economics school and others) and to illustrate their answers with varied and specific examples. The paper will contain essay questions and questions involving computation. Candidates will be required to answer three questions, two of the former and one of the latter.
    1. [224] I Demographic analysis and techniques: data sources, adequacy and remedies. Statistical analysis of fertility, mortality, and other demographic phenomena. The life table, stable population, and other models of population structure and growth. Population dynamics, projections and simulations.
    2. [225] II Limits to fertility and the lifespan. Contrasts between stable and transitional population systems in historical European and current non-European societies: the decline of mortality, fertility patterns in relation to systems of household formation, kin organization and risk environments, marital fertility decline and the current status of transition theory. Social, economic, and political consequences of rapid population growth at the national level and the local level. [226] Demographic systems in post-transitional societies (modern Europe and other industrial areas): low fertility, trends in health and survival, and age structure change; their economic and social causes and consequences. New patterns of marriage and family, women in the workforce, labour migration and the demography of ethnic minorities, population policies.
  49. [227] 316. Economics of OECD Countries [228] Main phases of development since 1945. Institutional framework of policy formation; conduct of demand management policies; the welfare state and public expenditure; experience of policies and strategies. The behaviour of major macroeconomic aggregates; the labour market and industrial relations. Development of external trade and financial relations; competitiveness and exchange rates; economic integration and the international coordination of economic policies. [229] Questions will be set requiring knowledge of one or more of the following countries: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, and US. Candidates will be expected to answer at least one question (out of three) from Part A. [230] Part A. Comparative analysis of the OECD countries [231] Part B. The Major Areas
    1. [232] Section 1: Western Europe
    2. [233] Section 2: the United States
    3. [234] Section 3: Japan.
  50. [235] 317. Economic Decisions within the Firm [236] Linear economics models, simplex method for linear programming, duality and sensitivity analysis. Network models, including the transportation and assignment problems, shortest path problems, project scheduling. Dynamic and integer programming. [237] Expected utility theory and decision trees. Markov chain models. Queuing systems. Stochastic dynamic programming. Inventory control. Monte Carlo methods and simulation. Two-person, zero-sum games.
  51. [238] 318. Finance [239] As specified in Paper 3, Finance, in the Honour School of Economics and Management.
  52. [240] 319. Game Theory [241] Strategic-form games and extensive-form games. Solution concepts. Games with incomplete information. Applications and topics which may (but not necessarily) include bargaining, auctions, global games, evolutionary games, co-operative games, learning, games in political science. [242] The paper will be set in two parts. Candidates will be required to show knowledge on both parts of the paper.
    1. [243] Part A. Questions will be set requiring candidates to solve problems involving the core elements of game theory.
    2. [244] Part B. Questions will be set requiring candidates to solve problems in and show knowledge of specific applications and topics in game theory.
  53. [245] 320. Mathematical Methods [246] The paper will cover mathematical tools such as Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential and Difference Equations, Probability and Statistical Inference and their applications to Economics. Applications will not require knowledge of material covered in other optional papers but will assume knowledge of the core first and second year papers. A detailed syllabus will be published every year.
  54. [247] 321. The Philosophy and Economics of the Environment (126)5 [NB: This paper may not be taken by bipartite Politics and Philosophy candidates.] [248] Philosophical foundations: justice and goodness, theories of value; decision-making under uncertainty. Economics foundations: externalities, public goods, international environmental agreements. Politics and the environment. Inter-generational ethics, discounting. The choice of instruments: taxes, permits and command-and-control; environmental instruments in practice. Valuing human life. Valuing nature. Cost-benefit analysis: foundations and critiques; valuation methods.
  55. [249] 399. Thesis
    1. [250] (a) Subject [251] The subject of every thesis should fall within the scope of the Honour School. The subject may but need not overlap any subject on which the candidate offers papers. Candidates are warned that they should avoid repetition in papers of material used in their theses and that substantial repetition may be penalized. [252] Every candidate shall submit through his or her college for approval to the Director of Undergraduate Studies for [From 1 October 2013: Philosophy,] Politics and International Relations, or [Until 1 October 2013: the head of the Department of] Economics the title he or she proposes together with
      1. [253] (i) an indication as to the branch of the school in which the subject falls, e.g. Economics;
      2. [254] (ii) an explanation of the subject in about 100 words;
      3. [255] (iii) a letter of approval from his or her [From 1 October 2013: thesis] tutor;
      [256] not earlier than the first day of the Trinity Full Term of the year before that in which he or she is to be examined and not later than the date prescribed for entry to the examination. The relevant chair [Until 1 October 2013: or head of department] shall decide as soon as possible whether or not to approve the title and shall advise the candidate immediately. No decision shall be deferred beyond the end of the fifth week of Michaelmas Full Term. [257] Proposals to change the title of the thesis may be made through the college and will be considered by the chair of the relevant sub-faculty until the first day of the Hilary Full Term of the year in which the student is to be examined, and by the chair of the examiners thereafter.
    2. [258] (b) Authorship and origin [259] Every thesis shall be the candidate's own work. His or her [From 1 October 2013: thesis] tutor may, however, discuss with him or her the field of study, the sources available, and the method of presentation; the [From 1 October 2013: thesis] tutor may also read and comment on a first draft. The amount of assistance that may be given is equivalent to the teaching of a normal paper. Theses previously submitted for the Honour School of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics may be resubmitted. No thesis will be accepted if it has already been submitted, wholly or substantially, for another Honour School or degree of this University, or for a degree of any other institution. Every candidate shall sign a certificate to the effect that the thesis is his or her own work and that it has not already been submitted, wholly or substantially, for another Honour School or degree of this University, or for a degree of any other institution [Until 1 October 2013: and his or her tutor shall countersign the certificate confirming that, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, these statements are true]. This certificate shall be presented together with the thesis. No thesis shall, however, be ineligible because it has been or is being submitted for any prize of this University.
    3. [260] (c) Length and format [261] No thesis shall exceed 15,000 words, the limit to include all notes and appendices, but not bibliographies; no person or body shall have authority to permit any excess. There shall be a select bibliography or a list of sources. All theses must be typed in double spacing on one side of quarto or A4 paper. Any notes and references may be placed either at the bottom of the relevant pages or all together at the end of the thesis, but in the latter case two loose copies of the notes and references must be supplied. The thesis must be bound or held firmly in a stiff cover. Two bound copies shall be submitted to the examiners, along with one electronic copy; they shall be returned to the candidate's college after the examination.
    4. [262] (d) Notice of submission of thesis [263] Every candidate who wishes to submit a thesis shall give notice of his or her intention to do so on his or her examination entry form (in addition to seeking approval of the subject from the relevant Chairman of the sub-faculty or head of department under (a) above); and shall submit his or her thesis not later than noon on Friday of the week before the Trinity Full Term of the examination to the Chairman of the Examiners, Honour School of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford. Every candidate who wishes to have his or her thesis returned is required to enclose with the thesis, in an envelope bearing only his or her candidate number, a self-addressed sticky label.
[264]
1. May be offered alternatively as a further subject in Philosophy as 114.
2. This option may not be available every year.
3. May be offered alternatively as a subject in Politics as 222.
4. May be offered alternatively as a subject in Politics as 225.
5. May be offered alternatively as a subject in Philosophy as 126.