Work in political economy aims to develop theoretical and empirical understanding of the connections between economics and politics and their interaction in the realm of public policy. Students in this cluster participate in the Princeton Program in Political Economy, which includes students from the departments of Economics and Politics. The program provides a broad range of possible substantive areas: both micro- and macro-political economy, as well as domestic, comparative, and international political economy, are available topic areas. Some students may wish to pursue purely theoretical approaches, while others may conduct empirical research or a blend of theoretical and empirical investigation. Students should have a strong background in mathematics (multivariate calculus and matrix algebra, as well as basic probability and statistics).