PPE

MINOR

Minor in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)

Our world is shaped by institutions and organizations that have a profound impact on our lives. It is crucial that we understand how they work, appreciate their interactions, see their impact, and can assess their value.

The mission of the PPE minor is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of social, economic, political, and moral problems in relation to one another. In doing this, PPE follows in the tradition of great thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, David Hume, Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Thomas Malthus, John Stuart Mill, and David Ricardo. PPE students cross the borders of key academic disciplines, integrating the methods, tools, and insights from philosophy, politics, and economics.

What is PPE?

“The study of economics and politics and their applications to social philosophy, cannot, in the end, be divorced.” – John Stuart Mill

Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) began as an interdisciplinary degree program at Oxford in 1924, and, 100 years later, it has spread to well over a hundred universities around the world as either a major or minor area of study.

One way to see the interdisciplinary connection is to note that economics and philosophy provide the tools that help us explain, predict, and evaluate behavior under alternative political institutions.

Another focus of PPE is on the effects of political institutions on economics—on studying how markets work and how the division of labor that markets promote affects human welfare and intellectual progress. Political economists such as Hume, Smith, Marx, and Mill each recognized that market exchange typically operates in the context of a political system that determines what can be owned and traded, which contracts will be enforced, and which activities will be permitted or prohibited.

Any PPE program would be incomplete without a consideration of the philosophical underpinnings that govern decisions. For example, while we may have moral concerns about exchanging sex or drugs or human organs for money, arguments for making these activities illegal are a more delicate matter. We might start with the kinds of questions with which moral philosophers are familiar: do these exchanges harm others in morally significant ways? Do the harms have compensating benefits? Regardless of any harms (or social costs) associated with them, do individuals have natural rights to the things they obtain through voluntary exchange, or is the system of exchange just a social convention for maximizing human welfare? When economists ask whether a consumer good should be taxed or banned or permissibly traded, they tend to rely exclusively on an efficiency standard. (Roughly, efficiency tracks the utilitarian view that social welfare is maximized when more aggregate preferences are satisfied.) But philosophers have a lot to say about which preferences count and whether things other than preferences might matter.

Collective action problems occur when there are benefits to coordinating our activities but incentives to free ride on the efforts of others, when there is (as in many cases) imperfect information about the motivations and actions of other people with whom we need to coordinate to achieve a common goal, and when preferences or utilities align in ways that disrupt rational decision methods.

PPE students will encounter a collective action problem such as anthropogenic climate change or antibiotic resistance (both of which are global and intergenerational) and be able to use the tools of game theory to figure out whether it is best modeled as a prisoner’s dilemma, an assurance game (stag hunt), a game of chicken, or something else altogether. They will also be able to think through whether a particular set of actions is an equilibrium (or stable point) in the game, whether there are Pareto-superior outcomes, and whether we might be able to use social norms or legal sanctions to move to such an outcome at a sufficiently low cost. In other words, PPE helps us model problems that arise when we interact with one another and then evaluate the tradeoffs among the politically feasible and morally desirable set of solutions. Sometimes the solution is simply to allow people to communicate and share information; other times norms or laws are needed to solve the problem.

PPE students also study how economic tools such as game theory and utility theory can illuminate problems in political philosophy. Economists emphasize that in markets, people get what they pay for, but in politics, citizens get what other people vote for. This simple observation has significant consequences for how people gather and sift through information in the market and in the political realm. If voters tend to be “rationally ignorant” about politics because they have little chance of affecting the outcome of an election with their votes, this raises normative questions about the proper scope of democracy, the appropriate role of constitutions and courts, and the optimal rules for financing campaigns and crafting policy.

Minor Requirements

Eighteen semester credit hours, including nine upper-division hours, drawn from the following: (click to view)

PPE 301, Introduction to PPE
PPE 320, Foundations of PPE

Three semester credit hours of economics, chosen from an approved list: (click to view)

ECO 321, Public Economics
ECO 323L, Political Economy
ECO 324, Labor Economics
ECO 325K, Health Economics
ECO 327, Comparative Economic Systems
ECO 330T, History of Economic Thought
ECO 333K, Development Economics
ECO 334M, Migration Economics and Policy
ECO 353K, Antitrust Law and Economics
ECO 353M, Empirical Public Economics
ECO 354M, Experimental Economics
ECO 355, Development Problems and Policies in Latin America
ECO 368, Survey of the History of Economic Thought
ECO 370M, Behavioral Economics
ECO 371M, Social Economics: Outside the Market

Three semester credit hours of philosophy, chosen from an approved list: (click to view)

PHL 318K, Introduction to Political Philosophy
PHL 322K, History of Ethics
PHL 325D, Environmental Ethics and Philosophy
PHL 325K, Ethical Theories
PHL 325L, Business, Ethics, and Public Policy
PHL 325M, Medicine, Ethics, and Society
PHL 325N, Organizational Ethics
PHL 342, Political Philosophy, Topic 1: Natural Law Theory
PHL 342T, Advanced Political Philosophy
PHL 342L, Origins of Liberalism
PHL 342P, Four Modern Political Theories
PHL 347, Philosophy of Law

Three semester credit hours of government, chosen from an approved list: (click to view)

GOV 314E, Classics of Social and Political Thought
GOV 314C, Competing Visions of the Good Life
GOV 320K, United States Constitutional Development: Structures
GOV 320N, United States Constitutional Development: Rights
GOV 324C, Political Ideologies and Manifestos
GOV 331L, Law and Society
GOV 335D, Natural Law Theory
GOV 335Q, Global Justice
GOV 335R, Intellectual World of the American Founders
GOV 341M, Decision Theory
GOV 342N, Public Choice
GOV 347L, Introduction to Political Theory
GOV 350K, Statistical Analysis in Political Science
GOV 351C, The Classical Quest for Justice
GOV 351D, The Theoretical Foundations of Modern Politics
GOV 351E, Contemporary Political Theory
GOV 351G, Critics of Modern Liberalism
GOV 351J, Might and Right among Nations
GOV 351L, Morality and Politics
GOV 355J Human Behavior as Rational Action
GOV 357C, Constitutional Interpretation
GOV 357F, Constitutional Structure of Power
GOV 357G, Structure of Individual Liberties
GOV 357I, Constitutional Design
GOV 357J, Law of Politics
GOV 335G, African American Political and Social Thought
GOV 357D, Civil Liberties
GOV 360E, International Political Economy
GOV 360O, Business and Society
GOV 365R, Institutions and Comparative Political Economic Development
GOV 365S, Comparative Legal Systems
GOV 366D, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy
GOV 371R, Politics and Religion in the United States
GOV 366G, British Politics and Government

Course Offerings

PPE 301: Introduction To PPE

Introduction to PPE synthesizes common strands in philosophy, politics and economics to better understand the interdisciplinary nature of many of the complex problems that society faces.

Content description:

This course introduces the interdisciplinary cluster of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. The goal of this course is to introduce some of the key intellectual tools from each of these disciplines, and to show how they can be used together to shed light on important theoretical and practical debates in morality, economics, and politics. Topics to be discussed include the nature and justification of property rights, the uses and limits of market prices in coordinating economic activity, the role of government regulation in correcting market failure, and the moral dimensions of economic growth, exploitation, and repugnant transactions. In addition, the course provides students with the tools they need to understand and apply causal inference to a wide variety of policy issues.

Catalog/Course schedule description:

This course cultivates an awareness of the relevance of ethics, politics and economics, as well as an appreciation for the limitations of each discipline and the necessity of thinking through their interactions.

Course Textbook/Readings:

Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: An Anthology

Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: An… by Anomaly, Jonathan (amazon.com)

PPE 320: Foundations Of PPE

Foundations to PPE is an in-depth exploration of philosophy, politics and economics. The course explores the great debates that span this interdisciplinary intersection.

Content description:

The goal of this course is to systematically explore three key elements found in the study of philosophy, politics, and economics: distributive justice, collective action, and the rule of law.

Distributive justice concerns how rights, resources, and responsibilities should be distributed in a just society. We will also pay special attention to dilemmas of collective action, examining why and under what conditions individuals engage in collective action, even when individual strategies appear more rational. Finally, how does the concept of the rule of law relate to other core political concepts such as democracy, sovereignty, jurisdiction, constitutionalism, and individual rights?

Catalog/Course schedule description:

This course examines distributive justice, collective action, and the rule of law. We reflect on how these approaches amplify and also limit civil discourse.

Course Textbook/Readings:

Matt Zwolinski, Arguing About Political Philosophy, 2nd edition (Routledge), other readings as posted on Canvas.

Possible Assessments:

Key Ideas Presentation – Throughout this course, we will be examining a variety of key ideas in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. In groups of up to four students, you will be responsible for researching one of these ideas, and making a 10-minute presentation on the topic to our class. Your presentation should provide an explanation of the idea, and demonstrate its relevance to some current social, political, or economic issue. (20% of grade)

Research Paper – In this 10-page paper, you will use both economic and philosophical methodologies and insights in order to address a political problem. Your paper should be both analytical and argumentative, and should draw on external research in addition to the material covered in this course. (40% of grade)

Participation – PPE is best learned through active conversation with others. It is therefore important that you be a regular participant in classroom discussions. Keep up with the reading. In order to play a constructive role in the conversation, it is vital that you do your homework beforehand. I want to hear your opinion, but I want it to be your informed opinion. Please finish all assigned reading before the beginning of class. (20% of grade)

Daily Reflections – You will create portfolio of your notes/thoughts from every class. (20% of grade)

Expected learning outcomes:

Students should be able to describe, in essay form, the moral and economic dimensions of key concepts in PPE.
Students should be able to apply these concepts to key issues of public policy.
Students should be able to articulate their opinions/thoughts verbally.
Finally, students should be able to critically engage with normative public policy debates involving these concepts.

Restriction Statement:

Complete PPE 301 with a C or better or with the approval of the Director of the PPE Program.

PPE 379: Capstone Course

This capstone course is a small seminar consisting of students working on their PPE capstone projects. Students write a substantial research paper and present their findings publicly.

Content description:

This course offers students in pursuing the PPE minor the ability to apply the interdisciplinary set of skills they have acquired to a more focused set of issues or problems in order to produce a substantial piece of research. Proposals for alternative types of capstone projects, such as policy papers in conjunction with an internship project will be considered and may be undertaken with the approval of the PPE program director. For both capstone options, students will be expected to make a public presentation of their research, in a class setting to fellow students and the faculty supervisor or in a wider public setting.

Catalog/Course schedule description:

This seminar course supports students as they become better researchers and prepares them to share their findings for public discourse related to philosophy, politics, and economics.

Course Textbook/Readings:

Under the guidance of the faculty member, each student will select an appropriate research topic and produce an extensive bibliography of sources.

Possible Assessments:

Defense of Thesis Proposal – The student will present their research outline to the seminar, solicit input and invite comments on potential ways to improve the proposal. (20% of grade)

First Draft – A fully written draft will be submitted to faculty member at the mid-point of the semester. The faculty member will provide summative feedback for resubmission. (20% of grade)

Comments on each other’s first draft – Every student will provide substantive commentary on the first drafts of others. (20% of grade)

Final Submission – The final submission must include a response file that enumerates how the summative feedback is reflected in the final. (20% of grade)

Public Presentation – Each student will prepare an appropriate public presentation of their findings. (20% of grade)

Expected learning outcomes:

Students will be able to formulate a research proposal
Students will learn to incrementally draft a thesis.
Students will learn to critique research proposals and offer substantive criticisms.
Finally, students will learn to present their research findings for public enlightenment.

Restriction Statement:

Complete PPE 320 with a C or better or with the approval of the PPE Program director.

Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Minor

Eighteen semester credit hours, including nine upper-division hours, drawn from the following:

1. PPE 301, Introduction to PPE

2. Three semester credit hours of economics, chosen from an approved list:

ECO 321, Public Economics, ECO 323L, Political Economy, ECO 324, Labor Economics, ECO 325K, Health Economics, ECO 327, Comparative Economic Systems, ECO 330T, History of Economic Thought, ECO 333K, Development Economics, ECO 334M, Migration Economics and Policy, ECO 349K, Topic: Law and Economics, ECO 353K, Antitrust Law and Economics, ECO 353M, Empirical Public Economics, ECO 354M, Experimental Economics, ECO 355, Development Problems and Policies in Latin America, ECO 368, Survey of the History of Economic Thought, ECO 370M, Behavioral Economics, ECO 371M, Social Economics: Outside the Market.

3. Three semester credit hours of philosophy, chosen from an approved list:

PHL 318K, Introduction to Political Philosophy, PHL 322K, History of Ethics, PHL 325D, Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, PHL 325K, Ethical Theories, PHL 325L, Business, Ethics, and Public Policy, PHL 325M, Medicine, Ethics, and Society, PHL 325N, Organizational Ethics, PHL 342, Political Philosophy, Topic 1: Natural Law Theory. Same as Government 335D, PHL 342T, Advanced Political Philosophy, PHL 342L, Origins of Liberalism. Same as Core Texts and Ideas 331, PHL 342P, Four Modern Political Theories, PHL 347, Philosophy of Law.

4. Three semester credit hours of government, chosen from an approved list:

GOV 314E, Classics of Social and Political Thought, GOV 314C, Competing Visions of the Good Life, GOV 320K, United States Constitutional Development: Structures, GOV 320N, United States Constitutional Development: Rights, GOV 324C, Political Ideologies and Manifestos, GOV 331L, Law and Society, GOV 335D, Natural Law Theory, GOV 335Q, Global Justice, GOV 335R, Intellectual World of the American Founders, GOV 341M, Decision Theory, GOV 342N, Public Choice, GOV 347L, Introduction to Political Theory, GOV 350K, Statistical Analysis in Political Science, GOV 351C, The Classical Quest for Justice, GOV 351D, The Theoretical Foundations of Modern Politics, GOV 351E, Contemporary Political Theory, GOV 351G, Critics of Modern Liberalism, GOV 351J, Might and Right among Nations, GOV 351L, Morality and Politics, GOV 355J, Human Behavior as Rational Action, GOV 357C, Constitutional Interpretation, GOV 357F, Constitutional Structure of Power, GOV 357G, Structure of Individual Liberties, GOV 357I, Constitutional Design, GOV 357J, Law of Politics, GOV 335G, African American Political and Social Thought, GOV 357D, Civil Liberties, GOV 360E, International Political Economy, GOV 360O, Business and Society, GOV 365R, Institutions and Comparative Political Economic Development, GOV 365S, Comparative Legal Systems, GOV 366D, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy, GOV 371R, Politics and Religion in the United States, GOV 366G, British Politics and Government.

5. PPE 320, Foundations of PPE

6. PPE 379, PPE Capstone

Declaring the PPE Minor

Step 1 – Apply

The required application can be submitted online on your own or with an academic advisor in your major.

Step 2 – Approve

This minor is auto-approved; it is open to all students and will show as approved immediately after the application is submitted. You’ll receive a Secure Academic Note (SAN) confirming you’ve submitted the application upon submission.

Step 3 – Pursue

Meet with your major advisor to have the PPE Minor added to your profile and complete the process.

All three steps – apply, approve, pursue – can be completed by your major advisor. If you have any questions about the minor requirements, please email the Government Undergraduate Advisors at guao@austin.utexas.edu.