Economics and Politics

Economics and politics is a pairing that makes immediate sense. Economics provides the analytical tools to understand markets, growth, inequality and policy, while politics asks why societies make the choices they do, how power is organised and how political institutions shape and are shaped by economic forces. Together they offer a genuinely comprehensive framework for understanding some of the most pressing challenges facing the world today, from globalisation and trade conflicts to financial crises, climate policy and inequality.

At Liverpool Hope University, this four-year full-time programme includes a sandwich year, a work placement and a year abroad. The sandwich and placement elements give you direct professional experience in policy, business, finance, government or research settings, while the year abroad provides the chance to study the political economy of a different country, which deepens your comparative understanding in ways that are particularly relevant to a subject concerned with how societies differ and why. The programme does not include a separate foundation year, so the four-year structure reflects the depth of training rather than a preparatory phase.

You will study macroeconomics and microeconomics, economic development, international trade and finance, alongside political theory, comparative government, international relations and the study of political behaviour and institutions. Both quantitative and qualitative analytical skills are developed, and the programme engages with real-world issues including globalisation, migration, climate change and financial system governance.

Graduates go into careers in the civil service, international organisations, policy research, finance, economics consultancy, journalism, development agencies, public affairs and the private sector in roles where economic and political understanding is valued. Further study in economics, political science, public policy or international development is a common route for those who want to specialise further.