Political Economy

Description

How might we best understand a world that is changing with bewildering speed, with a pandemic, financial crisis, Great Recession, changing welfare states, tensions in the EU, global power shifts, environmental risk, new trade and investment partnerships, changing migration patterns, and threatening political developments? Concentrating on the international level, this course aims to demonstrate that a 'Political Economy' approach is particularly helpful to our understanding of the background and nature of these phenomena, and of what could or should be done. The aim is to demonstrate and problematise the systematic relationship between the dynamics of markets and shifting patterns/institutions of governance. A historical approach is adopted to understand the evolution of state-market relations and the accompanying ideas and theories. The aim of the course is to explore the historical development of state-market relations since the 15th century, and to see how the ideas and concepts of (I)PE can be applied to understand current developments. We will investigate some of the most important contemporary policy issues in the international and national domain, from trade and finance to economic development and inequality. Students will also develop their skills in terms of reading comprehension, scholarly research, analysis, academic writing, and the presentation of research findings. Objectives: After successfully completing this course, students will be able to: Understand the main theories and perspectives in contemporary (International) Political Economy literature Understand the historical evolution of the international political and economic order Apply the theories to analyse historical and contemporary issues in (I)PE Evaluate diverse arguments related to fundamental principles and theories in (I)PE, and determine and defend their own position Develop original arguments and validate them through solid research Learn to analyse, assess, and articulate arguments associated with fundamental principles and theories.