CIG co-sponsors seminars in Positive Political Theory and Comparative Economics. Seminars usually take place on alternating Mondays at noon in 119 Moses Hall at the Institute of Governmental Studies.

Positive Political Theory Seminar
Positive Political Theory (PPT) applies the use of game theory and formal analysis to the study of political institutions. The PPT seminar meets about seven times a semester and is co-sponsored by the Political Science Department, the Institute of Governmental Studies, the Ford Foundation Crossing Borders program and the Institute of International Studies. Guests are leading academic political researchers who use formal models and rational choice theory as an approach to understanding legislative institutions and political behavior.

Schedule of Speakers

Past Speakers

For more information, contact:
Professor Robert Powell, rpowell@socrates.berkeley.edu, (510) 642-4635, Professor Rui de Figueiredo, rui@haas.berkeley.edu, (510) 642-6452, or seminar coordinator Danny Hidalgo, fdhidalgo@berkeley.edu.

Comparative Economics Seminar
Speakers in this seminar series address issues in the new field of comparative economics. Previously, comparative economics focused on understanding socialist economies. Currently, the focus is the comparative analysis of the different institutions of capitalism such as the legal, political, cultural, financial and social institutions in different countries. The aim of this comparative institutional analysis is to understand their effect on growth and other measures of economic performance. Much of this research has originated in the study of the transition process from socialism to capitalism where these institutions are established in different variants, under different initial conditions, in different order and at different speeds.

Schedule of Speakers

For more information, contact:
Professor Gérard Roland, groland@econ.berkeley.edu, (510) 642-4321, Professor Yingyi Qian, yqian@econ.berkeley.edu, (510) 643-0687, or seminar coordinator Carol Smallfield, carol@econ.berkeley.edu.