The interplay between political and economic issues has become central to the study of International Relations (IR) in the modern world. As an interdisciplinary academic subfield of IR, International Political Economy (IPE) studies how political factors affect economic outcomes and how economic factors influence political consequences at three levels of analysis: domestic, regional, and international. This course will examine how the political and economic interdependence has unfolded with a focus on the structural changes in the international economy and the consequences for national economies.
After introducing the main theoretical approaches of IPE (Mercantilism, Liberalism, Marxism), the course will delve into the role of domestic and international political determinants in the explanation of different economic outcomes. Within this framework, the course will explore the dynamics and evolution of international trade, production, finance, and development. They will be assessed by adopting the perspective of the IR concepts and ideas on the economic relations among states, and between states and non-state actors including multinational corporations and civil society-NGOs. Finally, the course will address contemporary IPE issues such as aid policymaking and aid- development nexus, migration and labor, environmental policies, economic coercion, and the political-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Teacher: Bernd Bucher
- Teacher: Francesca Frassineti