March 23, 2017 DRAFT Summer 2017 International Political Economy GOVT 743-B01 LOCATION IN 215G TIME 7:20PM-9:50PM Mondays and Wednesdays Instructor: Prof. Hilton Root Website: hiltonroot.gmu.edu/ Email: hroot2@gmu.edu Office: Arlington Founder s Hall, RM #636 Phone: 310-384-5545 Office Hours: 5pm-7pm (Tuesday) COURSE DESCRIPTION This course will provide a fresh view on the future of the international economic and financial system. We will consider issues of debt sustainability, the political foundations of banking crisis and the political economy of macroeconomic policy formulation. We will ask how to promote openness, tolerance, mobility, fairness and democracy in today s postglobal financial crisis slow- growth global economy. Questions will include: what does the available evidence tell us about the relationship between political institutions and economic development? Can we identify those institutional arrangements that promote economic growth, internal peace and general welfare? Can the global financial system be reformed to enhance global economic justice and to make globalization work better for developing countries? What role does democracy play in development? How much of the future of development depends on internal or external initiatives? Why do good policies come about in one country and not the other? What prevents underdeveloped countries from turning their assets into capital? How do we account for the persistence of global poverty? What prevents poor countries from adopting policies that promote growth? Using the reading material, you will be able to identify both the general dilemmas of globalization and economic development in the particular contexts of economic institutions in individual countries and regions. You will be able to explore and discuss strategies to surmount basic global development challenges of our time. You will be able to express your ideas on development strategies by providing particular country examples, case studies, charts and tables, and expressing those ideas in your course work. A wide range of policy options and case studies on the impact of globalization, the policies of government and of multilateral institutions will be considered. 1
LEARNING OUTCOMES o o o Knowledge and Understanding: Students will grasp key ideas, concepts, events, and developments shaping the global political economy. Analytical Skills and Abilities: Students will be able to identify, assess and analyze the political and economic dynamics of global change, including the role of national governments; regional and global organizations; trans-national corporations and interest groups. Professional Development: Students will be able to assess essential scholarly contributions to political economy analysis and make a succinct presentation on a precise topic pertaining to the global political economy. REQUIRED BOOKS Bloch, M. (1961) Feudal Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Hayek, F. (1956). The Road to Serfdom. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Judt, T. (2011). A Grand Illusion? An Essay on Europe. NYU Press. (Available Online!) Keynes, J. M. (1931). Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren. Essays in Persuasion. http://www.econ.yale.edu/smith/econ116a/keynes1.pdf Root, H. L. (2006). Capital and Collusion: The Political Logic of Global Economic Development. Princeton: Princeton University Press. (Paperback reissue 2016) Root, H. L. (2009). Alliance Curse: How America Lost the Third World. New York, NY, US: Brookings Institution Press (available online) Root, H. L. (2013). Dynamics Among Nations: The Evolution of Legitimacy and Development in Modern States. The MIT Press (available online). Stiglitz, J. E. (1994). Whither Socialism? Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. (Available Online) RECOMMENDED TEXT BOOK Sobel, A. (2013). International Political Economy in Context: Individual Choices, Global Effects. Los Angeles: CQ Press. Bueno de Mesquita, Ethan (2016) Political Economy for Public Policy. Princeton University Press COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADES 2
Students are expected to keep up with each week s required readings and to participate in class discussion. 20% - Class discussion and two class presentations of a title in the syllabus. 50%- Short weekly writing submissions (No more than 750 words on each week s assigned readings) 30% - final exam (Take home essay) OPTIONAL EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT: Thinking Globally Students can select one of the following to write a brief summary and to present in class. This assignment can be used to replace one of the weekly reading assignments. Clark, Gregory, A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World, Princeton, 2008. Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, Why Nations Fail Crown Business 2013. Ian Morris, Why the West Rules for Now, Picador, 2011. Douglass North, John Wallis and Barry Weingast, Violence and Social Order: A Conceptual Framework for Interpreting Recorded Human History, Cambridge University Press 2009. Edmund Phelps, Mass Flourishing: How Grassroots Innovation Created Jobs, Challenge and Change, Princeton University Press 2013. Michael, Ross, The Oil Curse: How Petroleum Wealth Shapes the Development of Nations, Princeton University Press, 2012. COURSE OUTLINE AND READINGS Class 1 (June 5): Introduction and Orientation Class 2 (June 7): What Does the West Still Have to Offer? Bloch, M. (1961) Feudal Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Class 3 (June 12): The Great Debate on the Role of the State and Economy Hayek, F. (1956). The Road to Serfdom. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Keynes, J. M. (1931). Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren. Essays in Persuasion. http://www.econ.yale.edu/smith/econ116a/keynes1.pdf Class 4 (June 14): The Future of Europe 3
Judt, T. (2011). A Grand Illusion? An Essay on Europe. NYU Press. (Available Online) Root, David Cameron s Great Blunder, The Fiscal Times Recommended Desmond Lachman, Has Draghi Really Saved the Euro? The International Economy summer 2014 pp.28-30, Stiglitz, J.E. (2016). The Euro: How a Common Currency Threatens the Future of Europe. W. W. Norton & Company Class 5 (June 19): Institutions Risk and Uncertainty Root, H. L. (2006). Capital and Collusion: The Political Logic of Global Economic Development. Princeton: Princeton University Press. North, D.; Weingast, B. (1989). Constitutions and Commitment: The Evolution of Institutions Governing Public Choice in Seventeenth- Century England. The Journal of Economic History. http://faculty.econ.ucdavis.edu/faculty/gclark/210a/readings/northweingast.pdf Class 6 (June 21): The Dilemma of diffused costs and concentrated benefits Olsono, Mancur (1982). The Rise and Decline of Nations. Yale University Class 7 (June 26): Mock Midterm Class 8 (June 28): What do socialism and capitalism have in common? Information asymmetry in Economic Development Stiglitz, J. E. (1994). Whither Socialism? Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. (Available Online) Ackerlof, G. (1970). The Market for Lemons : Quality Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 84, No. 3 pp. 488-500 **Monday, July 3, 2017 Independence Day Holiday** Class 9 (July 5): Ideas, rules and reforms: Neoliberal Economic Policy and Global Development Movie: Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy 4
Class 10 (July 10): The theory of political survival Root, H. L. (2009). Alliance Curse: How America Lost the Third World. New York, NY, US: Brookings Institution Press (Available Online) Class 11 (July 12): Global Political Dynamics and The Science of Complex Systems Root, H. L. (2013). Dynamics Among Nations: The Evolution of Legitimacy and Development in Modern States. The MIT Press. Class 12 (July 17): Discussion Continued-- Global Political Dynamics and The Science of Complex Systems Root, H. L. (2013). Dynamics Among Nations: The Evolution of Legitimacy and Development in Modern States. The MIT Press. Class 13 (July 19): The Political Economy of Financial Crisis Root, The Conundrum of Financial Market Complexity in Bubble Economy The International Economy Summer 2014, Vol. XXVIII, No. 3 Class 14 (July 24): How do unpopular regimes survive? Kuran, Timur (1995). Private Truths, Public Lies. Harvard University Press. Cambridge Class 15 (July 26): Review Session. **Take Home Exam due on July 28** Policy on Plagiarism The profession of scholarship and the intellectual life of a university as well as the field of public policy inquiry depend fundamentally on a foundation of trust. Thus any act of plagiarism strikes at the heart of the meaning of the university and the purpose of a graduate education. It constitutes a serious breach of professional ethics and it is unacceptable. 5
Plagiarism is the use of another s words or ideas presented as one s own. It includes, among other things, the use of specific words, ideas, or frameworks that are the product of another s work. Honesty and thoroughness in citing sources is essential to professional accountability and personal responsibility. Appropriate citation is necessary so that arguments, evidence, and claims can be critically examined. Plagiarism is wrong because of the injustice it does to the person whose ideas are stolen. But it is also wrong because it constitutes lying to one s professional colleagues. From a prudential perspective, it is shortsighted and self-defeating, and it can ruin a professional career. Any plagiarized assignment will receive an automatic grade of F. This may lead to failure for the course. To help enforce the policy on plagiarism, all written work submitted in partial fulfillment of course or degree requirements must be available in electronic form so that it can be compared with electronic databases, as well as submitted to commercial services. Statement on special needs of students If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the DRC. Online Student Journal New Voices in Public Policy: I will consider nominating the very best papers in this course for publication in New Voices in Public Policy. New Voices is a student- and facultyreviewed journal that shares SPP's finest student work with the rest of the world. SPP Policy on Plagiarism The profession of scholarship and the intellectual life of a university as well as the field of public policy inquiry depend fundamentally on a foundation of trust. Thus any act of plagiarism strikes at the heart of the meaning of the university and the purpose of the School of Public Policy. It constitutes a serious breach of professional ethics and it is unacceptable. Plagiarism is the use of another s words or ideas presented as one s own. It includes, among other things, the use of specific words, ideas, or frameworks that are the product of another s work. Honesty and thoroughness in citing sources is essential to professional accountability and personal responsibility. Appropriate citation is necessary so that arguments, evidence, and claims can be critically examined. Plagiarism is wrong because of the injustice it does to the person whose ideas are stolen. But it is also wrong because it constitutes lying to one s professional colleagues. From a prudential perspective, it is shortsighted and self-defeating, and it can ruin a professional career. The faculty of the School of Public Policy takes plagiarism seriously and has adopted a 6
zero tolerance policy. Any plagiarized assignment will receive an automatic grade of F. This may lead to failure for the course, resulting in dismissal from the University. This dismissal will be noted on the student s transcript. For foreign students who are on a university-sponsored visa (e.g. F-1, J-1 or J-2), dismissal also results in the revocation of their visa. To help enforce the SPP policy on plagiarism, all written work submitted in partial fulfillment of course or degree requirements must be available in electronic form so that it can be compared with electronic databases, as well as submitted to commercial services to which the School subscribes. Faculty may at any time submit student s work without prior permission from the student. Individual instructors may require that written work be submitted in electronic as well as printed form. The SPP policy on plagiarism is supplementary to the George Mason University Honor Code; it is not intended to replace it or substitute for it. 7