Global Economy

In a period of growing and uneven globalization, it is essential to understand the role of States, international organizations, and other key stakeholders working to enhance global economic growth and reduce economic and social disparities. The course on International Political Economy, within the area of Global Economy from the Grade on Global Studies, will help students to contextualize theoretical discussions and place current events in historical, economic, political and social context. These are basic elements to allow students to identify and analyze current global challenges, to understand how the global economy works, and to explore the ways in which globalization affects our lives.

Public sector, private sector, research, international cooperation, consulting, academia, and public policy development and analysis, among others.

Part I: Perspectives on International Political Economy

1. Introduction to International Political Economy

2. Economic Liberalism

3. Mercantilism

4. Structuralism

5. Constructivism

Part II: Structures of International Political Economy

6. The Global Production Structure

7. The International Trade Structure

8. The International Finance and Monetary Structure

9. The Global Security Structure

10. The International Knowledge Structure

Without practical activities due to study plan expiration

BS1. Students must demonstrate to understand and manage specific knowledge for this area of study, based on general higher education. This knowledge is commonly based on advanced text books, but may also include some aspects belonging to the forefront of its area of study.

BS2. Students must demonstrate to know how to apply the acquired knowledge to their professional career or to their vocation in a professional way, and to have all required competencies that are usually demonstrated by building and defending arguments, and by solving problems within the area of study.

BS3. Students must show ability to gather and interpret relevant data, usually from their area of study, to make judgements based on a reflection on relevant topics from a social, scientific and ethical perspective.

BS4. Students must be able to transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to a specialized and non-specialized audience.

GS1. To apply the acquired knowledge to solve specific problems in new or unknown environments, within a wider (or multidisciplinary) contexts.

GS2. To know and apply several research methods in the area of social sciences with the purpose of analyzing problems linked to their area of expertise.

GS3. To develop organizational skills, task planning and project coordination, in order to foster teamwork.

GS4. To develop a set of skills to design and implement plans and problem-solving programs, from a global and multidisciplinary perspective.

SS2. To understand the historical dimension of political and social processes at the international level.

SS3. To understand the structure and functioning of the different international organizations and/or integration processes.

SS6. To evaluate and analyze the different guidelines of States’ foreign policy.

SS9. To know and understand the basic notions of Political Economy, and its financial and commercial dimensions.

SS10. To identify and describe poverty and inequality situations. Identify causal factors and analyze the evolution and achievements of different cases.

SS13. To identify and understand the different decision-making and problem-solving mechanisms within he international context.

SS20. To analyze and understand the political scenario from a global perspective, being able to differentiate among several sources of power legitimacy for stakeholders and institutions, and other basic State’s components and the institutional design of political systems

Basic text book:

Balaam, David N. and Bradford Dillman (2018). Introduction to International Political Economy. Routledge

Additional references:

Barma, Naazneen, and Vogel, Steven Kent (edit.) (2022). The political economy reader: contending perspectives and contemporary debates. Second Edition. New York: Routledge, 2021

Lairson, Thomas D., and David Skidmore (2017). International Political Economy. The Struggle for Power and Wealth in a Globalizing World. Routledge.

Ravenhill, John (2016). Global Political Economy. 5^th edition. Oxford University Press.

C. Miller, Raymond (2018). International Political Economy. Contrasting World Views. 2^nd edition. Routledge.

Recommended readings:

Rodrik, Dani (2017). Straight Talk on Trade: Ideas for a Sane World Economy. Princeton University Press.

Stiglitz, Joseph (2017). Globalization and its Discontents Revisited. Penguin.

Chang, Ha-Joon (2011). 23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism. Penguin.

Irwin, Douglas A. (2015) Free Trade Under Fire. Princeton University Press

Westover, Jonathan H. (2017). International Political Economy: Facing Global Challenges. Common Ground Publishing.

Badie, Bertrand (2018). New Perspectives on the International Order: No Longer Alone in this World. The Sciences Po Series in International Relations and Political Economy. Palgrave.

Students must demonstrate a sufficient level of the required general, basic and specific skills to pass the course.

Constant work during the different activities in which the continuous evaluations is divided. Active participation in theoretical classes and seminars