Introduction to International Political Economy: theories and history

This short course, Introduction to International Political Economy: Theories and History, introduces you to the study of international political economy, examining questions such as: Are ‘market forces’ more powerful than national governments? What role does politics play in the shaping of global markets for the clothes and food you buy, or the banks you use? How do bodies such as the World Trade Organization or the International Monetary Fund influence people's lives?

You will gain knowledge of international political and economic processes through an understanding of the conceptual and theoretical approaches applied to such questions, processes and institutions.

We plan to cover the following content:

• The study of international political economy
• Globalisation and international political economy
• Classical liberalism: states and markets
• Classical political economy, slavery and free trade
• Nationalism, protectionism and realism
• Imperialism: nineteenth-century 'globalisation'?
• Depression, war and the post-1945 economic architecture
• Decolonisation: uneven development?
• New Orders? Dependency and the Third World
• The 'return' of markets: neo-liberalism in the twentieth century

Assessment is via a 750-word book review (40%), examination/in-class test (50%) and seminar participation (10%).

• Politics and International Studies (Certificate of Higher Education)