Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po)

This course provides an introduction to the statistical and econometric theory underlying surveys and counterfactual policy evaluations, which have long played a prominent role in democracies' political life. Doing so, it sharpens critical appraisal of the very many surveys and policy evaluations that are to be found in public discourse. This class uses mathematical notation and proofs: students should be motivated to engage with mathematically formalized material.

This course has two main objectives. The first is to provide introduction to some of the central themes and periods in economic history, ranging from the neolithic agricultural revolution in the Middle East to worldwide economic growth in the 20th and 21st centuries. The second is to introduce some of the main analytical debates in the field. The course provides a broad sense of the major epochs and revolutions in economic history, and demonstrates how economic theory and statistical evidence can help us to understand the real world. It also indicates some of the potential pitfalls, as well as advantages, of explaining the past through the lens of social science.

The death of the Prophet and his succession gave rise to two different and sometimes rival conceptions of religious authority and political power in Islam. The historical perspective enables us to understand the changing relationships, reconfigurations, and contemporary dynamics in the Middle East. This course, based on a multidisciplinary approach, examines the impact of relations between Sunnis and Shiites on the geopolitics of the Middle East, and the extent to which they are also shaped by regional geopolitics. As these divisions are part of specific political and regional contexts, it is necessary to go beyond a strictly confessional reading of regional geopolitical issues. This course develops critical thinking skills, as well as the capacity for analysis and reflection, in order to shed light on the multidimensional dimension of these interactions.

The death of the Prophet and his succession gave rise to two different and sometimes rival conceptions of religious authority and political power in Islam. The historical perspective will enable us to understand the changing relationships, reconfigurations and contemporary dynamics in the Middle East. The aim of this course, based on a multidisciplinary approach, is to understand the impact of relations between Sunnis and Shiites on the geopolitics of the Middle East, but also to grasp the extent to which they are also shaped by regional geopolitics. As these divisions are part of specific political and regional contexts, it is necessary to go beyond a strictly confessional reading of regional geopolitical issues. This study will enable students to develop their critical thinking skills, as well as their capacity for analysis and reflection, in order to shed light on the multidimensional dimension of these interactions.

This seminar is an introduction to the world's geopolitical reorganization around the Sino-American strategic competition and the resulting repositioning of the other actors, all falling within the constrained context of climate transition. What does this reorganization mean in a world of interdependence like ours? It puts an end to the so-called period of “happy globalization” (1990-2020). Facing a rising level of risks, States are reintegrating the economy and trade into national security to reduce vulnerabilities. This seminar is focused on strategic issues, linking geopolitics, economy, and technology to bring a horizontal perspective to what are the core challenges of the 21st century. Methodology learning is an important part of this seminar, putting emphasis on the studying of the rivalry taking place while developing writing and presentation skills.

This course covers global social problems and policies and develops competencies to respond to human needs emerging from interdependence between countries and societies. It introduces the broad field of global social policy by analyzing theory, social policy change, and social policy outcomes. Structurally, the course is divided in four parts. The first introduces classic social policy, discussing the main concepts and theories developed in the Western world during the 19th and 20th century. It also illustrates the main explanations proposed in the literature to investigate welfare state development and Esping-Andersen's welfare regime typologies (and the main critiques to his comparative framework). The second introduces social policy in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and East Asia. It combines a general understanding of welfare regimes in these continents with a more specific appraisal of some national case. The third highlights the main challenges (namely new social risks, family changes, economic crises) for welfare states in the Post-Fordist era and analyzes how different countries are coping with social change. The fourth and last part of the course considers welfare states as an independent variable: alternative welfare state configurations have different effects on redistribution and the economic competitive advantage of countries.

This course explores the right to truth from an interdisciplinary perspective. It critically engages with truth as a right in transitional justice scenarios, focusing on the exploration of the construction of truth through law and its relation to justice. Through the foundational tenets of memory, reconciliation, and punishment, the course enquires into the assumed exceptionality of the right to truth in transitions, examining if and how it operates in ordinary settings. Simultaneously, the course offers an overarching view of the consolidation of the right to truth in the framework of international human rights, and the specific obligations it entails for states. Drawing on a broad variety of cases of ongoing and past transitional justice processes in the Global South, the course fosters challenging and critical perspectives on the right to truth as a legal claim.

This course explores the intricate relationship between climate dynamics, economic systems, and sustainable policies that can be put in place (Global Perspectives, 2030 Agenda, Climate Agreements, Paris Agreement, EU Green Deal) to innovation and behavioral interventions. It provides an understanding of the climate and sustainability debate, and the economic concepts that form the basis for analyzing climate-related issues and actionable policies. It also develops the ability to analyze, interpret, and possibly contribute to the ongoing discourse on climate change.

This course discusses how social science is concerned with issues of environmental justice. It provides an opportunity to carry out a short survey through interviews and/or observations with actors involved in the organization of the Olympic Games in Paris and the environmental contestations to which this event gives rise. The course highlights inequalities of race, gender, and class, and the role of the state, the market, and certain professional groups in the construction of environmental problems. At the same time, the survey conducted provides a fresh perspective on the event.

This course introduces the broad questions of development economics, such as why some countries are poorer than others and why some people in some countries are poorer than others. It covers a broad range of issues, including education, health, gender, and environment. The course discusses different markets and their imperfections; for example, credit, insurance, labor, and land markets. It also discusses important policy responses to poverty and their effectiveness; for example, micro-credit, social protection, environmental regulation, transportation infrastructure provision. Course prerequisites include microeconomics (covering utility maximization models and market equilibrium) and a course in statistics or econometrics (covering hypothesis testing and regression models).

This course offers a comparative and connected history of the British and French imperial experiences, from the mid-eighteenth century until the end of the twentieth century. The British and French empires are usually considered as arch-rivals. By contrast, the course emphasizes Anglo-French collaboration as a key mechanism of Western expansion overseas, and examines how the two empires often influenced each other. Special attention is paid to ideas about race and cultural difference and how they shaped British and French colonial societies. The traditional view that the British favored indirect rule and the French assimilation is tested and its limits highlighted. The course provides the opportunity to engage with recent scholarship on European colonialism, key contemporary texts about imperial expansion, and visual sources.