Description:  This course examines the politics of global economic relations. It will focus on issues of international trade, the international monetary system, and foreign investment. Among the specific topics to be discussed are: trade and protectionism, the role and performance of global institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, and WTO, the significance of multinational corporations, efforts at regional economic integration such as the EU and NAFTA, the relationship of the world economy to the economic development of poor countries, and the emergence of new economic players such as China and India. All of these issues will be examined against the backdrop of economic globalization and the global economic crisis of 2008-09.

Objectives: The expectation is that students will leave the course with: 

1) a basic understanding of the substance of international trade, finance, and investment relations, 
2) a familiarity with the instruments, strategies, and motives of political institutions (both domestic and international) as they attempt to manage international economic relations,
3) greater ability, as citizens, to understand and to participate in the public debate over the issues central to this course,
4) further development of the skill of clear, precise writing via both in-class and take home essays.

Note on Prerequisites: The only formal prerequisite to this course is Political Science 170- International Relations (or permission of the instructor). While a basic introductory course in economics would be helpful and will make understanding of many course concepts and issues easier, it is not necessary to do well in this course. We will review, where appropriate, basic economic concepts and principles required to understand the readings and lectures on international political economy (IPE).