PPE Graduate Summer Workshop

The 6th PPE Graduate Summer Workshop will be held in Boulder, Colorado, this summer June 1-6, on the University of Colorado, Boulder campus.

This workshop is open to graduate students (MA or Ph.D) or incoming graduate students in fields related to Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. International students are welcome to apply. 

The workshop is offered free of charge with lodging, books, and (most) meals covered. 

This week-long summer workshop will combine the introduction of PPE methods with practical training and philosophical discussion.
Topics typically include:

• Rational Choice & Game Theory
• Formal Political Theory: Spatial Theory & Coalitional Bargaining
• Experimental Economic / Experimental Methods
• Social Norms
• Economic History
• Qualitative methods
• Evolutionary Theory & Social Evolution
• Agent-Based Modeling

This workshop pairs instruction on the basics of PPE methods with discussions of cutting-edge PPE research that uses those methods. The size of this workshop allows lecturers and organizers to get to know each student and address any specific questions they may have along the way.

One added benefit of this format is the substantial possibilities for networking among the participants. The overlapping interests they explore here and the friendships they form will likely lead to future research collaborations. In addition to the instructional and research sessions, participants will also work on developing a PPE research project that they will present to the group at the end of the week.

“This week helped me in becoming more methodologically self-conscious — I have a much better grip on the methods of more traditional analytic political philosophy and the interdisciplinary methods of PPE.”
–Participant of the 2021 Workshop

For more details about this program, please contact Professor John Thrasher (johnthrasher23 at gmail.com)

Past Workshops

2025 PPE Graduate Summer Workshop View the schedule here. Faculty Justin Bruner, Philosophy, Buffalo Taylor Jaworski, Economics, CU, Boulder Jake Monaghan, Philosophy, USC Ryan Muldoon, Philosophy, Buffalo Brian Skyrms, Philosophy, UCI David Wiens, Political Science, UCSD Erik Kimbrough, Economics, Chapman Keith Hankins, Philosophy, Chapman Jared Rubin, Economics, Chapman John Thrasher, Philosophy, Chapman

2024 PPE Graduate Summer Workshop   Faculty Justin Bruner, Philosophy, Buffalo Shaun Nichols, Philosophy, Cornell David Skarbek, Political Science, Brown Emily Skarbek, Economics, Brown David Wiens, Political Science, UCSD Ryan Muldoon, Philosophy, Buffalo Taylor Jaworksi, Economics, CU, Boulder Keith Hankins, Philosophy, Chapman Bart Wilson, Economics, Chapman Erik Kimbrough, Economics, Chapman John Thrasher, Philosophy, Chapman

2023 PPE Graduate Summer Workshop   Faculty David Skarbek, Political Science, Brown University Emily Skarbek, Political Economics, Brown University David Wiens, Political Science, UC San Diego Sean Ingham, Political Science, UC San Diego Scott Soames, Philosophy, USC Geoffrey Sayre-McCord, Philosophy, UNC Chapel Hill Erik Kimbrough, Economics, Chapman University Ryan Muldoon, Philosophy, University of Buffalo

2022 PPE Graduate Summer Workshop   Faculty Keith Hankins, Philosophy, Chapman University Erik Kimbrough, Economics, Chapman University Ryan Muldoon, Philosophy, University at Buffalo  Michael Munger, Political Science, Duke University Cailin O’Connor, University of California, Irvine Geoffrey Sayre-McCord, Philosophy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill John Thrasher, Philosophy, Chapman University Bas Van der Vossen, Philosophy, Chapman University David Wiens, University of California, San Diego Sarah Muldoon, University at Buffalo

2021 PPE Graduate Summer Workshop   Faculty Vernon Smith, Economics, Chapman University Cristina Bicchieri, Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania Aaron Clauset, University of Colorado, Boulder Hun Chung, Waseda University  Geoffrey Sayre-McCord, Philosophy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Keith Hankins, Philosophy, Chapman University Erik Kimbrough, Economics, Chapman University Cailin O’Connor, University of California, Irvine David Rojo-Arjona, Economics, Chapman University David Wiens, University of California, San Diego Bart Wilson, Economics, Chapman University