PO 5410 - International Political Economy

International Political Economy is a multidisciplinary field of study that seeks understanding of global events, the actions of both states and non-state actors, and the impacts of economic phenomena on the global marketplace. The “market” is comprised of many actors, but most importantly, the role of the nation state is the principal actor. Despite its primacy within the international arena, the nation-state must compete with other entities (Multi-national corporations, international institutions, regional trade organizations, and other non-aligned groups) in the pursuit of power within the global marketplace. The market is exploited by such entities as a result of the inherent pursuit of power, an unmitigable force of global politics. If “politics is concerned with the distribution of power in society”, it must be appreciated that the dominion of political activity belongs to each actor within the international system, as each attempt to maximize its own power relative to competitors. Therein lies the crux of the study of International Political Economy, and the focus of what this course seeks to present.

This course will explore the foundations of modern global political economy and the interplay between politics and economics. We will investigate the way in which states derive power from their respective economies and how this power is leveraged by states in relation to other states, non-state actors, and within established international institutions. Unlike an undergraduate economics course, this course will build upon basic economic fundamentals and overlay that foundational knowledge onto the field world politics at the graduate level. Credits: 4