GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY POL 231 Fall, 2013 University of Hartford T/R: 3:30-4:45 Michael Clancy Office: H 123B clancy@hartford.edu Hours: T/R 2-3/by 860-768-4284 appt. Introduction This course provides a broad introduction to international political economy (IPE), one of the primary subfields of international relations. It investigates the political foundations of international economic relations. In other words it is not an economics course, but rather a politics course that examines international economic relations. Why are issues such as globalization, free trade areas, multinational corporations, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank politically sensitive? Moreover, where do these institutions and practices come from? Do increasing economic ties between nations foster larger cooperation or do they reflect underlying power relations in a more conflictual manner? How do we understand the recent global financial crisis? These are among the questions that will be examined in this course. Students need not have a background in economics. Instead they will learn the major political science approaches for studying international political economy (IPE). They will also be exposed to the historical foundations of the current global economic order and examine current debates over the topics above. Learning Objectives As a 200-level course in the Politics and Government Department, this course does not assume students have previous knowledge of the subject matter. By the time students complete this course they should (1) develop an understanding of the primary IPE theoretical traditions; (2) gain a basic idea of how markets operate; (3) learn how international political economy affects both international and domestic politics and vice versa; (4) gain exposure to the workings of international trade, finance and investment; (5) gain some understanding of issues surrounding international development. In addition to these substantive goals, the course will emphasize collaborative learning in the classroom. Students are expected to attend class regularly and come to class prepared to speak about the required readings for that day. 1
Requirements The most basic requirement for this course is that students attend class regularly and come to class prepared. This means that students prepare carefully for class, having done all of that day's assigned reading. Most class sessions will be interactive, so you should come ready to discuss! Attendance in class is mandatory. One's participation grade will suffer significantly after two absences. Assigned Books Four books are required for this course. They are available online and at the University of Hartford Bookstore: Robert O Brien and Marc Williams, Global Political Economy, 4 th ed. Palgrave MacMillan 2013 Michael Lewis: Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World. Norton (paper) 2012 Rachel Louise Snyder, Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade Norton (paper) 2009 Nicholas Shaxon, Treasure Islands: Uncovering the Damage of Offshore Banking and Tax Havens. Palgrave MacMillan 2012 (paper). Additional readings will be available on Blackboard Written Requirements The graded requirements for the course are as follows: Assignment Due Date % Country Profile September 28 15% Midterm October 17 20% Commodity Presentation and Paper November 19 25% Participation --- 15% Final Exam December 16 25% Note: All work is due in class on the specific due dates. Extensions are rarely given and never arranged after the fact. If you have an emergency make arrangements before the due date. All late work will be penalized 1/3 of one letter grade per day. Work handed in more than 10 days late will receive a zero (0). it is very difficult to pass this class with any grade of zero. 2
Note on Academic Honesty: All work must be that of individual students. Whenever you use outside sources of information in your research, you must cite your sources properly. All papers submitted in this course should employ the American Political Science Association citation method as outlined in the Style Manual for Political Science. Papers submitted without complete citations will not be graded. Students caught cheating will receive an F in the course and will be reported to the Dean of Arts and Sciences for further discipline. Electronics Policy I know you all think of yourselves as multi-taskers, delicately balancing the intake of various forms of information from multiple sources. Most of these sources, of course, are electronic in nature. I, too, like my electronic toys and in the past I have been fairly open and flexible regarding electronics. The situation has gotten increasingly out of hand. I find students using laptops or texting to be not only non-engaged, but also distracting other students around them. Therefore I need to enforce a policy that prohibits personal electronics in class. Students are not to use cell phones, laptops, tablets or music players in class. Students observed using these items will upon first offense receive a participation grade of zero for the day, the second offense will bring their semester participation grade down one full letter grade, the third offense will result in them being dropped from the class. Course Schedule Below you will find a rough course schedule. The assigned readings vary considerably in length and you should therefore plan accordingly. Come prepared for each day having carefully digested all of the assigned readings. You are responsible for all readings, both in class and for exams and papers. In addition to the assigned readings, everyone expected to keep up with IPE news around the world on a daily basis. Date September 3 September 5 Assignment Introduction: No Reading What is IPE? Susan Strange, Prologue: Some Desert Island Stories, States and Markets (Pinter, 2 nd ed., 1994) O&W, Introduction; pp. 23-31 September 10 Liberalism Theory and History 3
O&W, pp. 7-9; 13-17 Adam Smith, On the Different Progress of Opulence in Different Nations September 12 September 14 September 19 September 21 September 26 September 28 October 1 October 3 October 8 October 10 October 15 Economic Nationalism O&W, pp. 9-12 Alexander Hamilton, Excerpts from Report on Manufactures Critical Approaches O&W, pp. 17-20 Immanuel Wallerstein, The Modern World System: Theoretical Reprise Global Commodity Chains Gereffi, "A Commodity Chains Approach for Analyzing Global Industries" Snyder, Fugitive Denim, ch. 1 Feminism O&W, ch. 10 Origins of the World Economy O&W, pp. 67-95 Money Money: The Basics O&W, pp. 154-63 O Brien, Bitcoin is No Longer a Currency, The Atlantic Country Study Due International Monetary Relations O&W, pp. 163-81 Michael Lewis, Boomerang, preface The Global Financial Crisis (I) Lewis, Boomerang, chs. 1-3 The Global Financial Crisis (II) Lewis, Boomerang, chs. 4-5 Mobile Money (I) Shaxon, Treasure Islands, chs. 1-5 Mobile Money (II) Shaxon, Treasure Islands, chs. 6-10 4
October 17 Midterm Exam Trade and Investment October 22 October 24 October 29 October 31 November 5 November 7 World Trade O&W, ch. 6 Snyder, Fugitive Denim, Part I The Politics of World Trade The Economist, Goodbye Doha, Hello Bali Transatlantic Trade and its Discontents, NYTimes TNCs O&W, ch. 7 Globalizing Production O&W, pp. 182-90 Snyder, Fugitive Denim, ch. 7 Sweatshops? Snyder, Fugitive Denim, Part 4 Global Production and the Throwaway Economy Video: Is Walmart Good for America? Globalization and Development November 12 November 14 November 19 November 21 November 26 November 27- Globalization Weiss, Globalization and the Myth of the Powerless State Cerny, The Competition State Today: From Raison d État to Raison du Monde Policy Studies 2009 Development O&W, ch. 11 Commodities Presentations Commodities Papers also due The Rise of the Development State Readings TBA Would be and Want to be Development States Snyder, Fugitive Denim, Part 3 Thanksgiving Break: No Class 5
December 1 December 3 December 5 December 10 December 12 Development and the Environment O&W, ch. 12 Snyder, Fugitive Denim, ch. 8 The Underside of the Global Economy Drugs and Smuggling M. Wilson and S. Zambrano, "Cocaine, Commodity Chains and Drug Policies: A Transnational Approach," in Gereffi and Korzeinewiecz, eds., Commodity Chains and Global Capitalism. Greenwood Press, 1994, ch. 15 Neoliberalism and the Unseen Film: Darwin s Nightmare Course Wrap-up Film: Darwin s Nightmare, conclusion TBA Final Exam 6