Doktorandkurs i Politisk Ekonomi

Interdisciplinary doctoral course

(7,5 ECTS credits)

Climate change, poverty reduction, armed resource conflicts, global division of labour ¿ the challenges facing contemporary societies are manifold and far too complex to be comprehended within a single frame of reference. Furthermore, contrary to the attempts of scientific specialisation, the political and the economical aspects of these challenges are inherently interconnected.

We believe that these challenges can be met only through the use of a diversity of theories and methods and that it is fruitful to bring together different generations of researchers and a variety of disciplines in order to produce the much needed knowledge. Cooperation beyond disciplinary borders can shed new light on the strengths of ones theories/methods and at the same time give insights in the fruitfulness of other approaches. We want to create a platform for doctoral students in the social sciences to develop the questions of their thesises and at the same time put their own research in a wider societal context.

To achieve these goals the course offers a combination of lectures and seminar discussions. The writing exercises are designed to make room for the students to develop his/her doctoral thesis. We believe in the seminar as an outstanding form for learning and therefore we demand a lot of participatory commitment from teachers and doctoral students. Since small talk can generate new meeting points, we cherish and arrange for coffee breaks and joint dinners.

The course contains nine lectures, which will be carried out on two occasions in November (3-6/11) and December (1-4/12), in Gothenburg. The lectures will be sandwiched with seminar discussions. All participants are expected to write a short paper to each lecture and one essay. The papers should comment upon the presented literature. The essay should relate to the participant¿s PhD-project and will form the basis for the concluding seminar.

Established in 2001, the course has given seven times and 71 doctoral students from eight disciplines and nine different universities have passed the course.

The application should be received September 15th, at the latest. The course is free of charge. However, it is up to the individual participant to arrange and pay the cost of literature, travelling, board and lodging. Detailed schedule, reading list and participating teachers will be available in the summer.

Application form

Evaluation of the course

For further information and application form please contact the director PhD Oskar Broberg, Department of Economic History, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, phone +46 31 ¿ 786 42 40, e-mail: Oskar.Broberg@econhist.gu.se. Or contact co-director, Urban Strandberg, associate professor in political science and research fellow at Centre for Public Sector Research, +46 31 786 41 49, urban.strandberg@cefos.gu.se.