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Philosophy Politics and Economics
PPE is Philosophy, Politics and Economics. It is an interdisciplinary degree combining the study of all three of these subjects. Every university offers this in a slightly different way but it is quite common to study all three in your first year and then specialise in only two later on.
You can read the description about each individual subject to find out more about them.
Digging deeper into subject interests can help you in a number of ways:
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Confirm whether this is (or isn't) something you would be interested in enough to want to study it at university either as the focus of your degree or a minor/elective
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Give you some inspiration to use when creating your questions and topics for IA's (coursework) and your Extended Essay
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Provide you with content for your university application writing in the future, enabling you to reflect on the things you've been doing to explore your interests in a way that is academically relevant to the course or institution you are applying for.
Useful Resources
Oxford University Research Blog | Blog | The University of Oxford's Blog on their current research. It includes articles on a huge range of topics but particularly relevant to the current global challenges. | Click Here > | |
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, by David Hume | Book | GENERAL: "Enquiry concerning human understanding" (1751), and "Enquiry � concerning the principles of morals" (1777), both reprinted, with an � introduction and analytical index by L.A.Selby-Bigge. With text revised and notes by P.H.Nidditch. This is also an Open University set book. | St. Clares Library L25 192 HUM | |
An Introduction to Political Philosophy, by Jonathan Wolff | Book | Aims to provide a clear and accessible introduction to some of the most important questions of political philosophy. Organized around major issues, this book provides the structure that beginners need, while also introducing some distinctive ideas of the author. | St. Clares Library L25 320.01 WOL | |
Conjectures and Refutations; the growth of scientific knowledge, by Karl Popper | Book | Conjectures and Refutations is one of Karl Popper's most wide-ranging and popular works, notable not only for its acute insight into the way scientific knowledge grows, but also for applying those insights to politics and to history. It provides one of the clearest and most accessible statements of the fundamental idea that guided his work: not only our knowledge, but our aims and our standards, grow through an unending process of trial and error. | St. Clares Library L25 121 POP | |
Economics, by David Begg | Book | Economics is all around us. It influences our daily lives, our society, political decisions, environmentalconcerns and the future we leave for our children.
The twelfth edition of Economics by David Begg andGianluigi Vernasca is a focused toolkit for studying economics.
It enables the reader to understand howeconomics underpins the world we live in, by presenting the economic theory in a clear and accessibleway and applying it to real world situations. This new edition has been revised and updated to include the latest topics and issues, such as the roleof information and the digital economy, immigration, and globalization.
This material, combined with arich array of pedagogical features, encourages students to understand not only our economic past andpresent, but also our changing world and the way in which economics can make sense of it. Key Features: New chapters on "Globalization, National Sovereignty and the World Economy" and "Governing the Market"; Fully updated chapters, including new and expanded material on behavioural economics andgame theory; A range of pedagogical features, including topical case studies, boxes on economic concepts and activity applications, which show the relevance and application of the material. | St. Clares Library L25 330 BEG | |
Economics: a beginner's guide, by James Forder | Book | Markets, models, mechanisms and monopolies... most of us understand that economics is important, but what exactly is it - and what do economists do?In this fresh and engaging introduction, Oxford University's James Forder skilfully presents the key concepts crucial to mastering the subject. Combining theory with dynamic, real-life examples, he shows us why economics matters and how it shapes our world. Economics: A Beginner's Guide is the perfect introduction for anyone wishing to understand and interpret economic problems, both past and present. | St. Clares Library L25 330 FOR | |
Godel, Escher, Bach: an eternal golden braid, by D R. Hofstadter | Book | "A metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of Lewis Carroll". | St. Clares Library L23 501 HOF | |
Invitation to Philosophy, by Martin Hollis | Book | Hollis leads his readers through the age-old philosophical questions of free choice and human nature, appearance and reality to newer ones of rationality and morality, other minds and inner selves. | St. Clares Library L25 100 HOL | |
Knowledge: a very short introduction, by Jennifer Nagel | Book | What is knowledge? How does it differ from mere belief? Do you need to be able to justify a claim in order to count as knowing it?
How can we know that the outer world is real and not a dream?Questions like these are ancient ones, and the branch of philosophy dedicated to answering them - epistemology - has been active for thousands of years.
In this thought-provoking Very Short Introduction, Jennifer Nagel considers these classic questions alongside new puzzles arising from recent discoveries about humanity, language, and the mind.
Nagel explains the formation of major historical theories of knowledge, and shows how contemporary philosophers have developed new ways ofunderstanding knowledge, using ideas from logic, linguistics, and psychology.
Covering topics ranging from relativism and the problem of scepticism to the trustworthiness of internet sources, Nagel examines how
progress has been made in understanding knowledge, using everyday examples to explain the key issues and debates. | St. Clares Library L25 121 NAG | |
Logic, by Wilfrid Hodges | Book | If a man supports Arsenal one day and Spurs the next then he is fickle but not necessarily illogical. From this starting point, and assuming no previous knowledge of logic, Wilfrid Hodges takes the reader through the whole gamut of logical expressions in a simple and lively way. Readers who are more mathematically adventurous will find optional sections introducing rather more challenging material. 'A lively and stimulating book' Philosophy | St. Clares Library L25 160 HOD | |
On Liberty, by J S Mill | Book | St. Clares Library L25 192 MIL | ||
Patterns of Democracy: government forms and performance in thirty-six countries, Lijphart A | Book | In this updated and expanded edition of his classic text, Arend Lijphart offers a broader and deeper analysis of worldwide democratic institutions than ever before.
Examining thirty-six democracies during the period from 1945 to 2010, Lijphart arrives at important-and unexpected-conclusions about what type of democracy works best. | St. Clares Library L25 323.3 LIJ | |
Political Philosophy: a very short introduction, by David Miller | Book | This work introduces readers to the concepts of political philosophy - authority, democracy, freedom and its limits, justice, feminism, multiculturalism, and nationality. Accessibly written and assuming no previous knowledge of the subject, it encourages the reader to think clearly and critically about the leading political questions of our time. | St. Clares Library L25 320.01 MIL | |
Schaum's Outline of Mathematical Methods for Business and Economics, by Edward Dowling | Book | Confused by the math of business and economics? Problem solved. Schaum's Outline of Mathematical Methods for Business and Economics reviews the mathematical tools, topics, and techniques essential for success in business and economics today.
The theory and solved problem format of each chapter provides concise explanations illustrated by examples, plus numerous problems with fully worked-out solutions. And you don't have to know advanced math beyond what you learned high school.
The pedagogy enables you to progress at your own pace and adapt the book to your own needs. | St. Clares Library L25 339.6 DOW | |
The Bottom Billion : why the poorest countries are failing and what can be done about it, by Paul Collier | Book | In this elegant and impassioned synthesis from one of the world's leading experts on Africa and poverty, economist Paul Collier writes persuasively that although nearly five billion of the world's people are beginning to climb from desperate poverty and to benefit from globalization's reach to developing countries, there is a "bottom billion" of the world's poor whose countries, largely immune to the forces of global economy, are falling farther behind and are in danger of falling apart, separating permanently and tragically from the rest of the world. Collier identifies and explains the four traps that prevent the homelands of the world's billion poorest people from growing and receiving the benefits of globalization - civil war, the discovery and export of natural resources in otherwise unstable economies, being landlocked and therefore unable to participate in the global economy without great cost, and finally, ineffective governance. As he demonstrates that these billion people are quite likely in danger of being irretrievably left behind, Collier argues that we cannot take a "headless heart" approach to these seemingly intractable problems; rather, that we must harness our despair and our moral outrage at these inequities to a reasoned and thorough understanding of the complex and interconnected problems that the world's poorest people face. | St. Clares Library L25 338.9 COL | |
The End of Poverty: economic possibilities for our time, by Jeffrey Sachs | Book | A landmark exploration of the roots of economic prosperity and the escape from extreme poverty for the world's poorest citizens Hailed by 'Time' as one of the world's hundred most influential people, Jeffrey Sachs is renowned for his work around the globe advising economies in crisis. Now he distills twenty-five years of experiance to offer a uniquely informed vision of the steps that can transform impoverished countries into prosperous ones. Marrying vivid storytelling with rigorous analysis, Sachs lays out a clear conceptual map of the world economy. Explaining his own work in Bolivia, Russia, India, China and Africa, he offers an integrated set of solutions to the interwoven economic, political, environmental, and social problems that challenge the world's poorest countries. 'The End of Poverty' is an indispensable work, with the power to remake the world. | St. Clares Library L25 339.4 SAC | |
The Logic Manual, by Volker Halbach | Book | An exceptionally clear, concise, and affordable introduction to logic, The Logic Manual carefully walks beginning philosophy students through the fundamentals, offering them a real understanding of how and why logic works. Author Volker Halbach presents essential concepts through examples, informal explanations, and abstract definitions. Topics covered include propositional and predicate logic (with and without identity) and an account of the semantics of these languages, including definitions of truth and satisfaction. In addition, natural deduction is used as a proof system. Extensively class-tested, The Logic Manual provides the best introduction available to the general, abstract approach to thinking about language, logic, and semantics that is characteristic of contemporary philosophy. A Companion Website provides exercises, examples, and sample examination papers. | St. Clares Library L25 160 HAL | |
The Republic, by Plato | Book | St. Clares Library L25 184 PLA | ||
The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008, by Paul Krugman | Book | Paul Krugman, winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in economics, shows how today's crisis parallels the events that caused the Great Depression - and explains what it will take to avoid catastrophe. In 1999, in "The Return of Depression Economics", Paul Krugman surveyed the economic crises that had swept across Asia and Latin America, and warned that those crises were a warning for all of us: like diseases that have become resistant to antibiotics, the economic maladies that caused the Great Depression were making a comeback. In the years that followed, as Wall Street boomed and financial wheeler-dealers made vast profits, the international crises of the 1990s faded from memory. But now depression economics has come to America: when the great housing bubble of the mid-2000s burst, the U.S. financial system proved as vulnerable as those of developing countries caught up in earlier crises - and a replay of the 1930s seems all too possible. In this new, greatly updated edition of "The Return of Depression Economics", Krugman shows how the failure of regulation to keep pace with an increasingly out-of-control financial system set the United States, and the world as a whole, up for the greatest financial crisis since the 1930s.
He also lays out the steps that must be taken to contain the crisis, and turn around a world economy sliding into a deep recession. Brilliantly crafted in Krugman's trademark style-lucid, lively, and supremely informed - this new edition of "The Return of Depression Economics" will become an instant cornerstone of the debate over how to respond to the crisis. | St. Clares Library L25 339.6 KRU | |
The White Man's Burden: why the West's efforts to aid the rest have done so much ill and so little good, by William R. Easterly | Book | We are all aware of the extreme hunger and poverty that afflict the world's poor.
We hear the facts, see the images on television, buy the T-shirt and are moved as individuals and governments to dig deep into our pockets.
Yet what happens to all this aid? Why after 50 years and $2.3 trillion are there still children dying for lack of twelve cents medicine?
Why are there so many people still living on less than $1 a day without clean water, food, sanitation, shelter, education or medicine?
In The White Man's Burden William Easterly, acclaimed author and former economist at the World Bank, addresses these twin tragedies head on.
While recognising the energy and compassion behind the campaign to make poverty history he argues urgently and powerfully that grand plans and good intentions are a part of the problem not the solution.
Giving aid is not enough, we must ensure that it reaches the people who need it most and the only way to make this happens is through accountability and by learning from past experiences.
Without claiming to have all the answers, William Easterly chastises the complacent and patronising attitude of the West that attempts to impose solutions from above. In this book, which is by turns angry, moving, irreverent but always rigorous, he calls on each and everyone of us to take responsibility, whether donors, aid workers or ordinary citizens, so that more aid reaches the people it is supposed to help, the mother who cannot feed her children, the little girl who has to collect firewood rather than go to school, the father who cannot work because he has been crippled by war. | St. Clares Library L25 338.9 EAS | |
Utilitarianism, by Mill J.S | Book | St. Clares Library L25 192 MIL | ||
What Is This Thing Called Science? An assessment of the nature and status of science and its methods, by
Alan Chalmers (1999) | Book | St. Clares Library L23 501 CHA | ||
Philosophy Now | E-Magazine | Podcast | Website | Search for past articles by Tag and read them, download pdf copies of recent issues for a small fee and listen to their podcast - all on topics of philosophy | Click Here > | |
Research from the University of Bristol | Journal Articles | Website | Explore cutting edge research from the different faculties and departments from the University of Bristol, including free access to their published journal articles. | Click Here > | |
Coursera | Online Course | Coursera is an online platform for distance learning. They have a range of free courses delivered by universities. Search in this section to find courses of interest to you, often these are courses you can follow at your own pace. | Click Here > | |
EdX | Online Course | The X Series courses on the EdX platform are free online courses delivered by universities and aimed at helping you explore areas of interest. | Click Here > | |
FutureLearn | Online Course | FutureLearn is a free online platform where universities from around the globe host FREE online courses you can undertake in your areas of interest. Browse courses by categories or use the search bar to find courses relevant to your interests | Click Here > | |
Springpod: Degree Taster Programmes | Online Course | Virtual programs helping you to explore degree subject areas before you apply which you can complete at your own pace. | Click Here > | |
An interview on 'Game Theory' with Melvyn Bragg on BBC’s 'In Our Time' with speakers Richard Bradley, Ian Stewart and Andrew Colman | Podcast | Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss game theory, the mathematical study of decision-making. First formulated in the 1940s, the discipline entails devising 'games' to simulate situations of conflict or cooperation. It allows researchers to unravel decision-making strategies, and even to establish why certain types of behaviour emerge. Some of the games studied in game theory have become well known outside academia - they include the Prisoner's Dilemma, an intriguing scenario popularised in novels and films, and which has inspired television game shows. Today game theory is seen as a vital tool in such diverse fields as evolutionary biology, economics, computing and philosophy. With:Ian StewartEmeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of WarwickAndrew ColmanProfessor of Psychology at the University of LeicesterRichard BradleyProfessor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.Producer: Thomas Morris. | Click Here > | |
Thinking Out Loud | Podcast | Thinking Out Loud provides audio-podcasts based on a series of videos produced by Katrien Devolder in which she talks to leading philosophers from around the world on topics related to practical ethics. The podcast and videos are meant for a non-specialist audience. You can watch the videos on the Practical Ethics Channel. Katrien is a Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics. | Click Here > | |
Oxford Martin School: Public Lectures and Seminars | Podcast | Recorded Lecture | Public Lectures and Seminars from the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford. The Oxford Martin School brings together the best minds from different fields to tackle the most pressing issues of the 21st century. | Click Here > | |
'Free Will in a Deterministic Universe?' by Christian List | Recorded Lecture | Science, especially the idea that everything in the universe is physically determined, is often thought to challenge the notion that we, humans, have free will and are capable of choosing our own actions. The aim of this lecture is to argue that there is room for free will in a world governed by the laws of physics. | Click Here > | |
Long-run growth after a pandemic: The Black Death in Europe | Sample Economics Lecture | Recorded Lecture | A Sample lecture from the School of Economics and the University of Nottingham | March 2021 | Click Here > | |
Springpod Subject Spotlights | Recorded Lecture | On demand mini-lectures from top UK universities across a range of degree subject areas | Click Here > | |
The Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics | Recorded Lecture | Podcast | Video | Book | Website | The annual public Uehiro Lecture Series captures the ethos of the Uehiro Centre, which is to bring the best scholarship in analytic philosophy to bear on the most significant problems of our time, and to make progress in the analysis and resolution of these issues to the highest academic standard, in a manner that is also accessible to the general public. Philosophy should not only create knowledge, it should make people’s lives better.
In keeping with this, the Annual Uehiro Lectures are published as a book series by Oxford University Press | Click Here > | |
What is money? | Sample Lecture from the University of Nottingham | Recorded lecture | Sample lecture from the School of Economics at the University of Nottingham | Click Here > | |
Brexit referendum and the rise in hate crime: conforming to the new norm | Video Short | Video | Short Film from the Economics department at the University of Nottingham from March 2020 | Click Here > | |
Practical Ethics Channel | Video | The Practical Ethics Video Series makes the most important and complex debates in practical ethics accessible to a wide audience through interviews with leading philosophers on topics that concern us all | Click Here > | |
Preferences for Truth-telling | Video Short | Video | Short Video from the University of Nottingham | March 2020 | Click here > | |
ExeTalks | Video | Recorded Lecture | ExeTalks are a chance to discover some of the fascinating research undertaken at the University of Exeter. | Click Here | |
Philosophy for Schools from the University of Southampton | Video | Recorded Lecture | This growing collection is made up of short videos, each presented by a lecturer from the Philosophy Department at the University of Southampton, and accompanied by study questions to help students work their way through the key ideas discussed. | Click Here > | |
21st Century Challenges: Informed discussion from the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) | Website | Blog | Video | Recorded Lecture | Events | 21st Century Challenges considers the big social, environmental and economic challenges of our time. Join us at events; read articles and commentary informed by the latest geographical research; watch videos, be inspired, think critically, build your networks and share your ideas. | Click here > | |
HE+ | Website | Podcast | Blog | Video | The HE+ website has supercurricular resources created and written by Cambridge students and academics including challenging activities, engaging videos, reflective questions and much more. | Click Here > | |
LIS Learning Hub | Website | Webinar | Recorded Lecture | Blog | Podcast | This is an open source area full of webinars, articles, videos, short reads, mini-lectures, podcasts and more from the London Interdiscipinary school. | Click Here > |
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