International Political Economy 1600-SZD-SPEC-MEP-SM
Course description:
International Political Economy (IPE) explores the interrelations between politics and economics in the international arena. Also referred to as global political economy, it places the analysis of global flows of goods, services, capital, and knowledge within a broader political, regulatory, and institutional context. It integrates knowledge from international economic relations, institutional economics, global governance, and international political relations, aiming to understand how the international institutional order influences the development and stability of the global economy. The course will address, among other topics, the relationship between the state and the market, the role of international institutions, globalization, trade, capital and labor flows, and global inequalities. Participants will engage with both classical and contemporary theories of IPE and will develop skills in critically analyzing global political-economic phenomena.
Course objectives:
• To familiarize students with the main theoretical approaches in International Political Economy (IPE).
• To develop an understanding of the relationships between the state, the market, and institutions on a global scale.
• To enable critical analysis of economic policies, international institutions, and globalization processes.
• To foster skills in conducting interdisciplinary research at the intersection of economics, political science, and international relations.
Course content:
1. Introduction to International Political Economy (IPE): conceptualization of key terms and issues.
2. The origins of IPE as a research field: development and emergence of International Political Economy.
3. Theoretical foundations of IPE: classical and contemporary schools of thought.
4. The state-market-power nexus: political and economic dynamics in the international system; the role of global institutions.
5. Selected topics in IPE – the origins of geoeconomics: ideological and material foundations.
6. Globalization and its critiques.
7. Global structures of production: trade, finance, knowledge, and innovation systems.
8. Liberalization and protectionism in state policy: international trade and regional economic integration.
9. IPE of the Global South and developing countries.
10. The EU, USA, and China: geoeconomic trilateralism and global economic geopolitics.
11. China’s geo-economic strategy vs. India as an emerging power.
12. The political economy of climate and natural resources.
13. International political economy of migration.
14. Global inequality and the political economy of redistribution.
15. Global governance and the international order.
16. New directions in International Political Economy.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge | The graduate knows and understands:
WG_01 – The student is able to characterize key issues and theoretical approaches in International Political Economy.
WG_02 – The student is familiar with methods for diagnosing the socio-economic conditions of countries and global political-economic phenomena from the perspective of different schools of thought.
WG_03 – The student knows and understands the basic instruments of economic policy, the role of governments and political institutions, and the mechanisms of collective decision-making.
WK_01 – The student knows and understands fundamental dilemmas of contemporary civilization from the perspective of International Political Economy.
Skills | The graduate is able to:
U1 – The student is able to correctly interpret key issues and theoretical approaches in International Political Economy and evaluate development strategies.
U2 – The student is able to diagnose the socio-economic situation of countries at the regional and local level and analyze global political-economic phenomena from the perspective of different schools of thought.
U3 – The student is capable of selecting optimal instruments of economic policy, critically evaluating the economic policies of selected international actors, and supporting their assessment with arguments based on theoretical approaches and perspectives of International Political Economy.
Social competences | The graduate is ready to
KO_01 – The student is able to independently expand and improve their acquired knowledge and skills.
KO_02 – The student is ready to fulfill social responsibilities and engage in actions for the public good, particularly by initiating activities in the public interest.
KO_03 – The student is aware of the significance of the challenges faced by societies in the contemporary global economy.
KO_04 – The student develops a sense of responsibility for global issues.
Assessment criteria
Description of requirements related to participation in classes, including the permitted number of explained absences:
Prerequisites:
The student has basic theoretical knowledge in microeconomics and macroeconomics, as well as in international economics, international relations, and the functioning of the contemporary global economy.
Principles for passing the classes and the subject (including resit session):
Assessment criteria:
Students will be assessed based on their activity and performance throughout the semester. The final grade will be composed of:
• Final exam/test – max. 40 points
• Group work – project and presentation – max. 40 points
• Participation during classes – max. 20 points
Minimum total score required to pass: 60 points.
Methods for the verification of learning outcomes: Participation in discussions, attendance in classes, group work – preparation of a project and presentation.
Evaluation criteria: The course is completed with a pass/fail grade (no final grade awarded).
Bibliography
Obligatory literature
J. Ravenhill (red.), Globalna Ekonomia Polityczna, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, Kraków 2011.
J. Ravenhill (ed.), Global Political Economy: Sixth Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford
2020.
Additional literature
E. Haliżak, Międzynarodowa ekonomia polityczna - subdyscyplina nauki o stosunkach międzynarodowych, Studia międzynarodowe?, 2017, tom 53, nr 1, ss. 9-34.
D. Acemoglu, J.A. Robinson, Dlaczego narody przegrywają, Wydawnictwo Zysk i S-ka,
Poznań 2014.
D. Acemoglu, J.A. Robinson (2012), Why Nations Fail. The origins of power, prosperity, and poverty, Crown Business, New York 2012.
J. Ravenhill (ed.), Global Political Economy: Sixth Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford
2020.
M. Zachara, Global governance. Ład międzynarodowy po zakończeniu stulecia Ameryki,
Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, Kraków 2012.
E. Haliżak (red.), Geoekonomia, Wydawnictwo naukowe Scholar, Warszawa 2012.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: