International Political Economy Course Descriptor

Course Overview

This course is an in-depth study of the political context of economics, and the way in which the discipline of Economics produces ideas and conclusions relevant to the study of Politics and International Relations. The inspiration for this course arises from two key requirements for a good Politics and International Relations degree: (1) to expose students to classic works, and (2) to offer a bridge between Economics and Political Science. Lectures on this course incorporate views from various schools of thought: (neo-)classical, Keynesian, and varieties of heterodox thinking (for example, Austrian or institutional economics), and link this to the broader democratic governance literature. Students on this course are exposed to the evolution of economic ideas beyond the standard framework. This course is based on a mix of texts, including papers from both qualitative and quantitative research traditions, but is also heavily based on classic texts and their later interpretations.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable and Employability Skills

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and range of additional resources (e.g. readings, question prompts, tasks, assignment briefs, discussion boards) to orientate and engage students in their studies.

The scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course are:

Lectures and seminars

40 scheduled hours – typically including induction, consolidation or revision, and assessment activity hours.

• Version 1:all sessions in the same sized group

OR

• Version 2: most of the sessions in larger groups; some of the sessions in smaller groups

Faculty hold regular ‘office hours’, which are opportunities for students to drop in or sign up to explore ideas, raise questions, or seek targeted guidance or feedback, individually or in small groups. 

Students are to attend and participate in all the scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course and to manage their directed learning and independent study.

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 150 hours

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessments are used as part of this course, with purely formative opportunities typically embedded within interactive teaching sessions, office hours, and/or the VLE.

Summative Assessments

The assessments will require students to apply the knowledge of the tradition of international political economy theories and debates to real-world economic policy problems, displaying sophistication in analysing evidence and ability to construct complex arguments:

Further information about the assessments can be found in the Course Syllabus.

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments, through email or the VLE) or oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or in office hours).

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is for a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

• Cohen, B. J. (2014), Advanced Introduction to International Political Economy. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Collier, P. (2008), The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Gilpin, R. (2001), Global Political Economy: Understanding the International Economic Order, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
• Stiglitz, J. E. (2013), The Price of Inequality. New York and London: W.W. Norton and Company

Indicative Topics

Note: Comprehensive and current topics for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative topics provided below are used as a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

• What is International Political Economy?
• Institutions, Development and Historical Contingency
• Financial Stability and Financial Crises
• Globalisation and Democracy