EC/PO 355 - International Political Economy & Global Developments

Combining knowledge from both political science and economics, International Political Economy (IPE) contributes to our understanding of the global economy. By integrating the local, the national, and the global scale, IPE makes it possible to grasp the complex interplay of international political and economic dynamics in a profound and holistic way. In this sense, this course seeks to improve students’ abilities to analyse the contemporary development of globalization, as well as its diverse impacts on different countries, world regions, and societies. The content of the course focuses on the politics of trade, money, and finance, but also covers regional integration, as well as environmental and black-market issues. It emphasises the role of States, International Organisations, as well as other key actors like Multinational Corporations, NGOs, social movements, and organized crime groups in the construction of the contemporary World Order. Furthermore, students will learn about the reasons and implications for the ongoing dependency of the Global South as well as the changing role of emerging economies like China. The course will engage with different theoretical approaches to tackle the big questions about the contemporary development of International Political Economy in the 21^st Century.