International Political Economy - International Relations
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University of Bremen / Jacobs University
MA International Relations: Global Governance and Social Theory
Spring Term 2019
International Political Economy
Thursdays, 14 March to 20 June
InIIS seminar room 2210
10 am to 1 pm
(Last updated: 18 April 2019)
Sebastian Möller
Institut für Politikwissenschaft
Universität Bremen
UNICOM (Haus Wien) | Mary-Somerville-Straße 7 | Room 7.2040
smoeller@uni-bremen.de
Office hours: Wednesday 10.00 – 12.00 and by appointmentCourse Description
International and domestic politics are heavily influenced by cross-border economic dynamics.
Globalization has connected markets for both goods and services across the globe generating a
highly interconnected and interdependent global economy and increasingly putting established
national institutions such as the welfare state under pressure. Historically, scarcities of resources and
control over trading routes have caused conflicts and wars between states and social groups. In fact,
economic rivalry continues to be a major cause of political conflict also today even within the
complex multilateral institutional framework of economic governance. In contrast to this political
relevance of the economy, much of the traditional International Relations literature has not paid
sufficient attention to economic dynamics. In response to this neglect, International Political
Economy (IPE) has emerged as field of study bridging the analytical gap between Political Science and
Economics.
In this course, we will empirically explore and theoretically reflect core aspects of the global political
economy. The course will provide you with an overview of major theoretical perspectives within IPE
and apply them to core themes of political economy including production, trade and finance.
Moreover, we will critically engage with the debate on the virtues of globalization and identify
repercussions of global economic integration on various scales and at different places around the
globe including Bremen. Particular emphasis will be put on questions of inequality and power. As all
modules in this program, this seminar is based on extensive readings. We will, however, also get
familiar with different kinds of empirical data on economic issues and discuss current topics of your
interest (for this you are highly encouraged to follow economic news and suggest discussion topics).
Requirements & Grading
All students are expected to prepare the compulsory reading for each session (marked by an asterisk)
and to actively participate in the seminar (e.g. in discussions and group work). You are strongly
encouraged to consult and propose further readings! In order to earn credit points for the MA
program (7.5 ECTS), you are required to:
(1) Submit three reflection papers (800-1500 words) throughout the semester. Such a paper
summarizes the core insights/arguments of the mandatory reading(s) and one additional text
and relates them to each other, IPE theories and current empirical trends. Moreover, at least
three questions on the texts or the overall topic have to be formulated. The paper has to be
submitted to the course instructor on Wednesday prior to the respective session until 3pm.
(2) Give a presentation on a subject related to one of the sessions. Presentations should be
informed by the mandatory readings of the sessions but not be about them but rather about
a specific empirical issue that is related to the session. You have to search for additional
literature. Presentations can either be held individually (10-15min) or in pairs (20-25min).
(3) Pass the quiz in the final session (20 June). The quiz will be about both theories and empirical
issues covered during the semester with a special emphasis on the mandatory readings
(except the readings for the final session).
Grading: Reflection paper (30%), presentation (30%), quiz (40%)
Criteria for good reflection papers and presentations will be discussed in class. Please consult the
respective guidelines (p.3).
All course materials can be found on Stud.IP. Please register for the online course.
2Guidelines for Presentations
o Presentation can either be held individually (10-15min) or in pairs (20-25min).
o You are not supposed to summarize the mandatory readings of the session (but good or very
good presentations make references to the readings)
o Presentations are required to have a clear empirical (or theoretical) focus. Narrow down your
subject to a specific industry/region/time or do a comparison. Ideally, your presentation has
a guiding question that is answered at the end.
o You should either provide a handout, presentation slides or a poster or use the
white/blackboard to visualize your main messages. Use graphic visualizations and show data
if possible (audiovisual material is also welcome).
o Search for academic sources and list them (either on the handout or on the slides, poster or
whiteboard). You can include media sources if useful.
o Provide either a controversial argument or question(s) to stimulate a productive discussion.
o You are encouraged to consult the instructor beforehand.
Guidelines for Reflection Papers
o A reflection paper briefly summarizes the core insights/arguments of the mandatory
reading(s) and one additional text (in an abstract style). It further relates them to each other
and connects them to selected theories discussed in class. The paper should also reflect on
the question whether currently empirical trends fit the arguments made in the texts.
o Make references to the texts in your paper and illustrate core arguments with quotes (but
make sure to not use direct quotes excessively). Citations should follow the MAIR style sheet.
o For a very good grade, the paper should give an own reasoned opinion on the texts.
o At least 3 questions on the texts have to be formulated (they don’t need to be integrated in
the text). These questions should be suitable for discussion in class (meaning that they
should not already be addressed in the texts).
o The paper should be between 800 and 1500 words (excluding questions and reference list).
o Please include a cover sheet with your personal information (name & email address), the title
of the session and a list of references with full bibliographic information.
o Please make sure to have adequate page margins for corrections and proof-read your text
before submission.
o You have to submit reflection papers for 3 sessions. You can submit a 4 th one to improve the
lowest grade. The paper has to be submitted via email to the course instructor on
Wednesday prior to the respective session until 3pm. Delayed papers are not accepted.
IPE Resources
Journals: Review of International Political Economy (RIPE), New Political Economy (NPE), Third World
Quarterly, Socio-Economic Review, Millennium, Finance & Society, Journal of Cultural Economy,
International Journal of Political Economy, Competition & Change, Review of African Political
Economy, World Economy, Journal of Political Economy, Industrial Relations, Journal of Common
Market Studies (JCMS), International Affairs, International Organization (IO), Globalizations
Economic data sources: IMF World Economic Outlook, UNCTAD Trade & Development Report,
Eurostat, World Economic Forum: Global Competitiveness Report, OECD Data, World Bank Open
Data, World Income Inequality Data Base (WIID), CORPNET (networks of corporate control),
Observatory of Economic Complexity, UN Comtrade, ourworldindata.org
3COURSE SCHEDULE
Session #1 (14 March): Introducing IPE as Field of Study
Core questions: What is IPE? What does IPE add to the understanding of international relations? How
can the current global economy be characterized?
*Strange, Susan (1994): Wake up, Krasner! The world has changed.
In: Review of Political Economy 1 (2), 209-219.
*Rodrik, Dani (2000): How far will international economic integration go?
In: Journal of Economic Perspectives 14 (1), 177-186.
Additional readings:
Dickens, Amanda (2006): The evolution of international political economy.
In: International Affairs 82 (3), 479-492.
Ravenhill, John (2014): The Study of Global Political Economy. In: Ravenhill, John
(ed.): Global Political Economy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 3-24.
Session #2 (21 March): Mainstream Theories in IPE – Liberalism & Realism
Core questions: How do Liberals and Realists conceptualize the political economy? Which are their
core concepts? Which actors are believed to be dominant and why? How well are mainstream
approaches suited to understand or explain current dynamics in the global political economy?
*Cohn, Theodore (2012): Global Political Economy. 6th edition.
Boston: Longman, 56-102.
Additional readings:
Gilplin, Robert (2001): Global Political Economy. Princeton: Princeton University
Press, 13-24 & 77-102.
Levi-Faur, David (1997): Friedrich List and the Political Economy of the Nation State.
In: Review of International Political Economy 4 (1), 154-178.
Smith, Adam (1993 [1776]): An inquiry into the Nature and the Causes of the Wealth
of Nations. A Selected Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 11-25.
4Session #3 (28 March): Critical IPE – (Neo)Marxism(s), Constructivism & Feminism
Core questions: What characterizes critical IPE perspectives? Which are their core concepts? Which
actors are believed to be dominant and why? How well are critical approaches suited to understand
or explain current dynamics in the global political economy?
*Cohn, Theodore (2012): Global Political Economy, 103-130.
*Cox, Robert (1981): Social Forces, States and World Orders: Beyond International Relations
Theory. In: Millenium 10 (2), 126-155.
Additional readings:
Abdelal, Rawi (2009): Constructivism as an approach to international political economy. In:
Blyth, Mark (ed.): Routledge Handbook of International Political Economy. IPE as a global
conversation. London: Routledge, 62-76.
Elias, Juanita & Roberts, Adienne (2018): Situating Gender in International Political Economy.
In: Elias, Juanita & Roberts, Adrienne (eds.): Handbook of the Political Economy of Gender.
Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 1-20.
Strange, Susan (1988): States and Markets. London: Pinter, 23-42.
Presentations: Feminist IPE
Session #4 (04 April): Labor, Production & Global Value Chains
Core questions: How does production change with increasing global economic integration? How are
production patterns and inequality liked? Can the unions’ movement be successful in the
transnational sphere? How can the rise of multinational corporations be explained? Why are working
conditions for migrants often precarious? What is the role of the state in industrial relations?
*Philipps, Nicola (2017): Power and inequality in the global political economy.
In: International Affairs 93 (2), 429-444.
*Strauss, Kendra & McGrath, Siobhán (2017): Temporary migration, precarious employment
and unfree labour relations: Exploring the ‘continuum of exploitation’ in Canada’s Temporary
Foreign Worker Program. In: Geoforum 78, 199-208.
Additional readings:
Silver, Beverly (2003): Forces of Labor. Worker´s Movements and Globalization since 1870.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1-25 & 41-74.
Cohn, Theodore (2012): Global Political Economy, 249-293.
Gereffi, Gary (2014): Global value chains in a post-Washington Consensus world.
In: Review of International Political Economy 21 (1), 9-37.
Presentations: Migrant Workers in the Gulf Region, Child Labor in Bolivia
5Session #5 (11 April): International Trade and its Governance
Core questions: How has international trade developed after WWII? How are trade relations
governed multilaterally and bilaterally? What are the (dis)advantages of free trade and
protectionism? How have patterns of foreign direct investment changed over time and how beneficial
are they for different actors?
*Gilpin, Robert (2001): Global Political Economy. Understanding the International
Economic Order. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 198-233.
*Narlikar, Amrita (2010): New powers in the club. The challenges of global trade
governance. In: International Affairs 86 (3), 717-728.
Additional readings:
Cohn, Theodore (2012): Global Political Economy, 168-208.
Hopewell, Kristen (2015): Different Paths to Power: The Rise of Brazil, India and China at the
World Trade Organization. In: Review of International Political Economy 22 (2), 311-338.
Singer, Hans W. (1950): The distribution of gains between investing and borrowing
countries. The American Economic Review 40 (2), 473-485.
Presentations: US-China Trade War, Dutch Disease: The Cases of Venezuela & Norway
***NO SESSION ON 18 APRIL DUE TO EASTER BREAK***
Session #6 (25 April): The International Monetary System
Core questions: What is money? How did the international monetary system evolve? How does fiscal
policy work? What role do currencies play in the global economy? What are the implications of the
hegemony of the US Dollar? How do central banks operate?
*Helleiner, Eric (2014): The Evolution of the International Monetary and Financial System.
In: Ravenhill, John (ed.): Global Political Economy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 173-197.
*Frieden, Jeffry A. (2015): Currency Politics. The Political Economy of Exchange Rate Policy.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1-18 & 220-245.
Additional readings:
Broome, André (2014): Issues and actors in the Global Political Economy.
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 154-184.
McNamara, Kathleen (1999): Consensus and Constraint: Ideas and Capital Mobility in
European Monetary Integration. Journal of Common Market Studies 37 (3), 455-476.
Germain, Randall & Schwartz, Herman (2014) The political economy of failure. The euro as an
international currency. In: Review of International Political Economy, 21 (5), 1095-1122.
Presentations: ECB’s & Fed’s Crisis Reactions, Crypto-Currencies
6Session #7 (02 May): Financial Markets & Financialization
Core questions: How did financial globalization evolve? What is financialization and how does it work
in different sectors? What are the implications of finance’s increasing influence in previously non-
financial sectors? How did financial market regulation change after the financial crisis?
*van der Zwan, Natascha (2014): Making sense of financialization.
In: Socio-Economic Review 12 (1), pp. 99–129.
*Rethel, Lena (2010): Financialisation and the Malaysian Political Economy.
In: Globalizations 7 (4), 489-506.
Additional readings:
Krippner, Greta R. (2005): The financialization of the American economy.
In: Socio-Economic Review 3 (2), 173–208.
Lapavitsas, Costas (2013): Profiting without Producing. How Finance Exploits us all.
London: Verso, 1-43.
Loubere, Nicholas (2017): China´s Internet Finance Boom and Tyrannies of Inclusion.
In: China Perspectives 2017/4, 9-18.
Moschella, Manuela & Tsingou, Eleni (2013): Introduction. In: Moschella, M. & Tsingou, E.
(eds.): Great expectations, slow transformations. Incremental change in post-crisis regulation.
Colchester: ECPR Press, 1-33.
Presentation: Tax Evasion & Panama Papers
Session #8 (09 May): (Under)Development & Global Inequality
Core questions: Where does inequality between the north and south come from and how can it be
reduced? Which development strategies have been successful? How has development as a national
and international policy field developed? What is the Washington consensus and why has been
criticized?
*Cardoso, Fernando H. (1972): Dependency and Development in Latin America.
In: New Left Review I/74, 83-95.
*Cohn, Theordore (2012): Global Political Economy, 294-338.
Additional Readings:
Bateman, Milford (2015): South Africa's post-apartheid microcredit experiment: moving from
state-enforced to market-enforced exploitation. In: Forum for Social Economics (online).
Clapham, Christopher (2018): The Ethiopian developmental state.
In. Third World Quarterly 39(6), 1151-1165.
Mader, Phil (2013): Rise and Fall of Microfinance in India: The Andhra Pradesh Crisis in
Perspective. In: Strategic Change 22: 47-66.
Moyo, Dambisa (2009): Dead aid. Why aid is not working and how there is another way
for Africa. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 19-72.
Presentations: Capabilities Approach, Washington Consensus, Official Development Assistance (ODA)
7Session #9 (16 May): Local Traces – Bremen and the Global Political Economy
This session will take place at Bremen Hafenmuseum (Am Speicher XI 1, 28217 Bremen). We will
meet there at 10:45 for a guided museum tour by Christine Glenewinkel and discuss Bremen`s
interconnections with the global economy afterwards in the museum´s seminar room (12:15-2pm)
For this session, reflection papers can be submitted until 19 May and should include some insights
from the guided tour or a comparison of Bremen and your home town regarding their integration in
the global economy.
Core questions: How is Bremen connected to the world economy? How do changes in the global
economy affect the urban economy and society? What are characteristic features of port cities? How
are port economies governed? How does Bremen cope with global port & shipyard competition?
*Hein, Carola (2011): Port cityscapes. A networked analysis of the built environment.
In: Hein, Carola (ed.): Port Cities. Dynamic Landscapes and Global Networks.
Abingdon: Routledge, 1-23.
*Wolf, Johanna (2017): Bremer Vulkan. A case study of the West German
shipbuilding industry and its narratives in the second half of the twentieth century.
In: Raquel Varela, Hugh Murphy, Marcel van der Linden (eds.): Shipbuilding and Ship
Repair Workers around the World. Case studies 1950-2010. Amsterdam: Amsterdam
University Press, 117-142.
Additional readings:
Baird, Alfred (1996): Containerization and the decline of the upstream urban port in Europe.
In: Maritime Policy and Management, 23 (2), 145-156.
Beckert, Sven (2014): Empire of Cotton. A New History of Global Capitalism.
London: Verso, 29-55 & 199-241.
Turnbull, Peter & Wass, Victoria (2007): Defending Dock Workers—Globalization and
Labor Relations in the World’s Ports. In: Industrial Relations 46 (3), 582-612.
Warsewa, Günter (2017): The Transformation of port cities: Local culture and the post-
industrial maritime city. In: Rodriguez, G. R. & Brebbia, C.A. (eds.): Coastal Cities and their
Sustainable Future II. Southampton: WIT Press, 149-159.
Presentation: Bremen & Global Cotton Trade
Session #10 (23 May): The End of Welfare? (with Ulrich Franke)
***Joint Session with Transformation of the State Seminar
Core questions: Is the welfare state in crisis? Which changes can be observed in contemporary social
policies in different countries and why? How does this debate relate to both the transformation of the
state and International Political Economy?
*Crouch, Colin (2009): Privatised Keynesianism: An Unacknowledged Policy Regime.
In: The British Journal of Politics and International Relations 11, 382-399.
*Genschel, Philipp & Seelkopf, Laura (2015): The Competition State. The Modern State
in a Global Economy. In: Leibfried, Stephan et al. (eds.): The Oxford Handbook on the
Transformations of the State. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 237-252.
8*Obinger, Herbert & Starke, Peter (2015): Welfare State Transformation: Convergence
and the Rise of the Supply-Side Model. In: Leibfried, Stephan et al. (eds.): The Oxford
Handbook on the Transformations of the State. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 465-481.
Additional readings:
Dukelow, Fiona & Kennett, Patricia (2018): Discipline, debt and coercive
commodification: Post-crisis neoliberalism and the welfare state in Ireland, the UK
and the USA. In: Critical Social Policy 38(3), 482–504.
Esping-Andersen, Gøsta (1990): The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 9-34 & 221-229.
Lavinas, Lena (2017): How Social Developmentalism Reframed Social Policy in Brazil.
In: New Political Economy 22 (6), 628-644.
Presentation: Welfare State Reforms in Sweden
***NO SESSION ON 30 MAY (PUBLIC HOLIDAY)***
Session #11 (06 June): Economic Institutions: Varieties of Capitalism & Informal Economy
Core questions: Which institutions govern the economy? What does it mean to speak of “embedded
markets”? How do various types of capitalism differ from each other? Does globalization decrease
institutional variety among national economies? Why do shadow economies evolve and how can we
assess their welfare contributions?
*Andreas, Peter (2011): Illicit Globalization: Myths, Misconceptions and Historical Lessons.
In: Political Science Quarterly 126 (3), 403-425.
*Clift, Ben (2014): Comparative Political Economy. States, Markets and Global Capitalism.
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 199-229.
Additional readings:
Basu, Gautam (2013): The role of transnational smuggling operations in illicit supply chains.
In: Journal of Transportation Security 6 (4), 315-328.
Nölke, Andreas, ten Brink, Tobias, Claar, Simone & May, Christian (2015): Domestic
structures, foreign economic policies and global economic order: Implications from the rise
of large emerging economies. In: European Journal of International Relations 21 (3), 538-567.
Reno, William (2009): Illicit markets, violence, warlords and governance: West African cases.
In: Crime, Law, and Social Change 52 (3), 313-322.
Streeck, Wolfgang & Thelen, Kathleen (2005): Introduction: Institutional Change in Advanced
Political Economies. In: Streeck, Wolfgang & Thelen, Kathleen (eds.): Beyond Continuity:
Institutional Change in Advanced Political Economies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1-39.
Presentations: Drug Trafficking, Dark Web
9Session #12 (13 June): Global Agriculture & Sustainable Development (with Roy Karadag)
Core questions: What changes can be witnessed in agriculture and food industries? Are they subject
to similar pressures of international economic integration than other sectors? How does climate
change affect the global political economy? Can markets contribute to its mitigation?
*Bernstein, Henry (2016): Agrarian political economy and modern world capitalism: the
contributions of food regime analysis. In: The Journal of Peasant Studies 43 (3), 611-647.
* Aşıcı, Ahmet Atıl & Bünül, Zeynep (2012): Green New Deal: A Green Way out of the Crisis?
In: Environmental Policy and Governance 22, 295-306.
Additional readings:
Clapp, Jennifer (2014): Financialization, Distance and Global Food Politics.
In: The Journal of Peasant Studies 41 (5), 797-814.
Hopewell, Kristen (2017): A Changing Role for Agriculture in Global Political Economy?
Brazil’s emergence as an agro-power. In: Margulis, Matias (ed.): The Global Political Economy
of Raul Prebisch. London: Routledge, 155-171.
Spash, Clive (2010): The Brave New World of Carbon Trading.
In: New Political Economy 15 (2), 169-195.
Presentation: Sustainable Agriculture
Session #13 (20 June): Globalization, Income Inequality & Populism (Seminar Quiz)
Core questions: What are the benefits and downsides of international economic integration? How are
persistent patterns of income inequality and globalization linked? How does globalization affect
domestic politics and our daily life? Are there any connections between globalization and the recent
rise of populism and nationalism?
*Bhagwati, Jagdish N. (2007): In defence of globalization.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 3-27 & 51-67.
*Rodrik, Dani (2018): Populism and the economics of globalization.
In: Journal of International Business Policy 1, 12-33.
Additional readings:
Fraser, Nancy (2011): Marketization, Social Protection, Emancipation: Toward a Neo-
Polanyian Concept of Capitalist Crisis. In: Calhoun, Craig & Derluguian, Georgi (eds.):
Business As Usual. The Roots of the Global Financial Meltdown.
New York: New York University Press, 137-157.
Milanovic, Branko (2016): Global Inequality. A New Approach for the Age of Globalization.
Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 10-45 & 212-239.
Piketty, Thomas (2014): Capital in the Twenty-First Century.
Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1-35.
Stiglitz, Joseph (2012): The Price of Inequality. How Today’s Divided Society Endangers
Our Future. New York: Norton & Company, 1-27 & 265-290.
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