Philosophy, Politics, and Economics confronts enduring puzzles at the heart of social life: What does it take to build and sustain a free, prosperous, and fair society? When do markets create value, and when do they undermine justice? How can diverse communities cooperate amid polarization and mistrust? What are the moral limits of technology, wealth, and power?
Rooted in Brown’s historic commitment to interdisciplinary learning and open inquiry, the PPE concentration invites students into a sustained engagement with the values, institutions, and incentives that shape society. While disciplinary expertise remains essential, many of the most important questions today require frameworks that cross disciplinary boundaries. Rigorous social-scientific inquiry must grapple with difficult normative questions, just as normative theory must be informed by well-established empirical knowledge.
Across the curriculum, PPE emphasizes the interplay between individual agency and social structure, the relationship between positive and normative analysis, and the links between institutional design and ethical evaluation. The concentration emphasizes building strong analytic skills, including training in formal logic, mathematical modeling, and cutting-edge empirical approaches.
Students explore questions about cooperation, coordination, markets, efficiency, justice, fairness, democracy, freedom, equality, and deliberation through the combined lenses of all three disciplines. This integrative approach equips graduates with knowledge and skills to address issues ranging from theories of justice to the logic of collective action to the foundations of the wealth of nations.
| ECON 0110 | Principles of Economics 1 | 1 |
| One Calculus Course 2 | 1 | |
| Single Variable Calculus, Part I | ||
or ECON 0170 | Essential Mathematics for Economics | |
| Core PPE Courses | ||
| PHIL 0555 | Choice, Commerce, and Conflict: An Introduction to PPE | 1 |
| One course from the following. | 1 | |
| Do the Right Thing: Value Theory for PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) | ||
or POLS 1496 | Institutions, Incentives, and Ideas: Advanced Topics in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics | |
| Core Disciplinary Courses | ||
| One intermediate microeconomics course. | 1 | |
| Intermediate Microeconomics | ||
or ECON 1130 | Intermediate Microeconomics (Mathematical) | |
| ECON 1620 | Introduction to Econometrics | 1 |
| One of the following Economics courses. | 1 | |
| Introduction to Game Theory | ||
| Applied Research Methods for Economists | ||
| Mathematical Econometrics I | ||
| Game Theory and Applications to Economics | ||
| One of the following Philosophy courses. | 1 | |
| Critical Reasoning | ||
| Logic | ||
| Decision Theory: Foundations and Applications | ||
| Mathematical Logic | ||
| Advanced Deductive Logic | ||
| One moral or political philosophy course. | 1 | |
| Contemporary Ethical Issues | ||
| Moral Philosophy | ||
| Global Justice | ||
| Free Speech | ||
| Moral Theories | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| POLS 0110 | Introduction to Political Thought | 1 |
| One of the following Political Science courses. | 1 | |
| Introduction to the American Political Process | ||
| Introduction to Comparative Politics | ||
| Introduction to International Politics | ||
| Electives 3 | ||
| Two 1000-level Economics electives from the following. | 2 | |
| Environmental Economics and Policy | ||
| Welfare Economics and Social Choice Theory | ||
| History of Economic Thought | ||
| Labor Economics | ||
| Economics of Global Warming | ||
| Environmental Issues in Development Economics | ||
| Research Seminar in Health Economics | ||
| Intergenerational Poverty in America | ||
| Inequality of Income, Wealth, and Health in the United States | ||
| Urban Economics | ||
| Industrial Organization | ||
| The Economics of Social Policy | ||
| The Economic Analysis of Political Behavior | ||
| Bargaining Theory and Applications | ||
| Public Economics | ||
| Theory of Market Design | ||
| Culture, History and Comparative Development | ||
| Health, Hunger and the Household in Developing Countries | ||
| Economic Growth | ||
| The Economics of Latin Americans | ||
| Education, the Economy and School Reform | ||
| Latin American Economic History | ||
| Experimental and Behavioral Economics | ||
| Theory of Behavioral Economics | ||
| Theory of Economic Growth | ||
| Three additional PHIL department electives selected in consultation with the PPE concentration advisor. At least two must be numbered 0990 or above. | 3 | |
| Two 1000-level Political Science electives from the following. | 2 | |
| Politics of the Illicit Global Economy | ||
| Ancients and Moderns | ||
| Injustice | ||
| Latin American Politics | ||
| Nuclear Weapons | ||
| Politics, Markets and States in Developing Countries | ||
| The Rise of China | ||
| Money and Power in the International Political Economy | ||
| Politics of Climate Change | ||
| Security, Governance and Development in Africa | ||
| Contemporary African Politics | ||
| Crime, Punishment, and Politics | ||
| International Political Economy | ||
| Institutions, Incentives, and Ideas: Advanced Topics in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics | ||
| Education, Inequality, and American Democracy | ||
| Contraband Capitalism: States and Illegal Global Markets | ||
| Democratic Erosion | ||
| Geopolitics of Oil and Energy | ||
| Identity Politics in Global Perspective | ||
| Freedom, Work, Leisure | ||
| Power and Prosperity in Urban America | ||
| The American Welfare State in Comparative Perspective | ||
| Ancients and Moderns: Quarrels and Continuities | ||
| The Politics of Futurity | ||
| Latino Politics in the United States | ||
| Monuments, Citizenship, and Belonging | ||
| Public Bureaucracy (by permission for advanced undergraduates) | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |
- 1
Or equivalent AP, IB, or A-Level scores. See exam course equivalencies.
- 2
Or equivalent AP, IB, A-Level scores, or other advanced calculus course. See exam course equivalencies.
- 3
In exceptional cases, students can petition course substitution for courses not included in the current list of electives in consultation with their concentration advisor and/or the DUS, provided the course can be shown to align with the goals of the PPE concentration.
Transfers and Course Overlaps
Subject to approval, students may transfer a total of four courses toward the concentration requirement. Transfer credits may be obtained from prior coursework at another university, study abroad, or study away.
The maximum allowable course overlap with another concentration is two courses.
Capstone Requirement
All students must satisfy the capstone requirement. The capstone will normally be completed in a student’s senior year, and it should make use of a significant portion of what the student has learned in their undergraduate education across philosophy, politics, and economics. There are three options for the capstone project:
- Senior Thesis: Students enroll in two thesis courses to produce a substantial paper, typically about 40-60 pages, that is researched and written over the course of the senior year under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Students can use one of the two senior thesis courses to satisfy one elective requirement.
- Independent Study: A one-semester independent study course under the direction of a faculty advisor, leading to a substantial research paper, typically 15-25 pages. In consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, the independent study may also result in a substantive non-traditional deliverable. The independent study course can be applied towards one concentration elective.
- Special Project in 1000-Level Course: Students may undertake a special project in connection with a 1000-level concentration course or a 1000-level course approved by the DUS. Examples include a more-in-depth final paper than is otherwise required or a presentation of some of the material to the class, though students are encouraged to make creative proposals, as well. The specific project should be discussed with, and must be approved by, the instructor of the relevant course.
Students with an outstanding academic record in PPE may apply for the Honors program. Honors will require an A in more than half of concentration courses. It also involves writing a year-long thesis in close conjunction with a faculty member. Students apply in their 6th semester (normally, spring of their junior year) . Students must complete ECON 1620, the methods requirement, prior to applying to the Honors program.