International Political Economy in China. Zha Daojiong School of International Studies

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1 International Political Economy in China Zha Daojiong School of International Studies

2 Broad-brush observations Little meaningful contribution from Chinese-language scholarship. Future prospects remain to be seen. Benjamin Cohen, Advanced Introduction to IPE, Elgar, 2014 New IPE is remarkably reluctant to focus on major changes taking place in world politics. IPE should come to grips with the fact that genuine economic development is taking place on a global scale; on the role of China, on volatility in financial and energy markets; on the role of actor other than states, and on the implications of the Internet for the analysis of power Robert Keohane, The Old IPE and the New, Review of International Political Economy, 16:1 (2009). 2015/8/3 PKU-UC summer school,

3 The field What to use as a benchmark? Is there a hierarchy of excellence/relevance/respect? Is there a (distinctly) national and cultural sphere? In what ways does a sphere matter? In domestic policy In diplomacy Who to speak to? 2015/8/3 PKU-UC summer school,

4 Broad-brush observations IPE with Chinese characteristics Gregory Chin, Margaret Pearson and Yong Wang (editors), International Political Economy in China: the global conversation, Routledge, 2015, Role the Chinese scholarship may play in knowledge creation in the field, Implications of China's rise for the field of IPE as a whole Themes reviewed Hegemony International institutions and global governance Globalization & role of the state International money and finance Constructivism 2015/8/3 PKU-UC summer school,

5 Classroom IPE Began in late-1980s Counting college courses so titled Limited to courses taught in International Politics departments Heavy reliance on translated college texts in English American (and some British) versions International Political Economics, by Bruno Frey, The Politics of International Relations, by Joan Spero, The Political Economy of International Relations, by Robert Gilpin In part, out of necessity Little available for teaching about the West and capitalist world economy Scholarship trying to catch up with societal needs Time for a Chinese School? See, for example, Song Xinning, Building International Relations Theory with Chinese Characteristics, Journal of Contemporary China, 10:26 (2001). 2015/8/3 PKU-UC summer school,

6 Classroom IPE Translated textbook expressions, context matters? Example One: 重商主义 Mercantilism Textbook meaning: when a country s export exceeds import, it puts itself in an advantageous position th century Europe. Inclinations today. 商 (commerce), better than 武 (military might)? Example Two: 自由主义 Liberalism Textbook meaning: private ownership and free-market economic system Liberal or illiberal: a matter of scale? What does the prefix neo- really convey? If a key expression not understandable at first glance to nonspecialists, does it matter? 2015/8/3 PKU-UC summer school,

7 Post 1949 Chinese IPE in practice Possible to outline six phases Rejecting Western trade and governance ideas, 1950s-1960s Trade-based interactions with the West, 1970s Trade, investment, and learning from the West, 1980s Riding the train of economic globalization, 1990s Transition (to a market economy), 2000s Reforming international economic governance, 2100s Academic IPE, in what ways has it mattered? Inform Neglect Guide Follow 2015/8/3 PKU-UC summer school,

8 Enriching the field What matters? Grand theorization Again, vocabulary, its import and export through translation Area/country studies Language proficiency, direct observations Industry basics and insights Thick description of policy process Bureaucratic documents a unique language to parse through, but worthwhile Utility of anecdotes (as in interviews and memoires) Is there policy/politics-neutral IPE? To whom or what interests is an academic IPE effort attempting to speak? How not to under- or over-state a case? 2015/8/3 PKU-UC summer school,