PO/EC 350 - International Political Economy and the New World Order

Combining knowledge from both political science and economics, IPE contributes to our understanding of the international economy. Why do some countries adopt protectionist policies while other embrace free trade? What explains the different regulations imposed on the flow of the different factors of production across countries and different periods of time? What role do domestic and international factors play in the international monetary and financial order? More generally, what are the causes and consequences of capital mobility? What—if anything—differentiates “globalization” today from earlier periods of economic openness? Does development aid help or harm developing countries? What impact does foreign direct investment by multinational corporations have on states?

This course will focus on the politics of trade, money, and finance, but will also look at some development, regional integration and black market issues. It examines the role of states, international institutions, and other factors in the world economic system, including key actors like the European Union and the United States in the world economy, but also considers major non-Western advanced industrialized countries as well as a number of developing countries in the Global South.