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Politics of the Global Economy GS 361 |
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| Professor TERRENCE CASEY | OFFICE: Moench A 209 |
| PHONE: 877-8281 | RHIT Mailbox: #93 |
| E-Mail: casey1@rose-hulman.edu | HOURS: MTRF, 3rd Hour or drop-in. |
The purpose of this
course is to introduce you the key theoretical approaches and substantive issues
of the politics of the global economy. After examining the core theories and
concepts of the international political economy (IPE), we will review recent
major trends, with a particular emphasis on globalization and the international
financial crisis. The subject matter inherently draws attention to the
intersection of politics (states) and economics (markets). The overarching focus
is thus on how political choices made by state actors alter economic outcomes
and, alternately, how the operation of international markets shapes the options
available to political leaders.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Your grade for the course will be based on the following --
(A) THREE EXAMS (70% total). The exams will be on
Friday December 18th
and Friday January 28th
(20% each) and a final exam (30%).
Exams
will include a mix of objective and analytical questions, including essays,
drawn from both the readings and the lectures. The format for the final will be
similar to the other two exams, but also include comprehensive essay questions.
(B) DEBATES PAPER
(10%).
At various points in the
course we will be discussing the chapters in Thomas Oatley,
Debates in
International Political Economy. Your job in
the paper is to explore the respective sides of one of these debates and make a
persuasive argument of your own, which may or may not correspond with the
arguments presented in the text. You may choose any topic in
Debates in
International Political Economy, whether we
discuss it in class or not. In order to make your argument persuasive, you need
to provide appropriate factual evidence to support your claims. (NOTE: You may
not, under any circumstances, cite Wikipedia!) All papers are due not later than
Monday,
January 18th (start of 6th Week).
(C) BOOK REVIEW
(20%).
In order to give you a more in-depth look at the issues of
globalization and the current international economic situation, you are required
to read and review one
of the following books
Andrew Gamble,
The Spectre at the Feast: Capitalist Crisis and
the Politics of Recession, Palgrave Macmillan,
2009.
Jeffrey Frieden,
Global Capitalism: Its Fall and Rise in the
Twentieth Century, WW Norton &
Co., 2007.
Harold James,
The Creation and
Destruction of Value: The Globalization Cycle,
Harvard University
Press, 2009.
All three are available on Amazon.com and other online
booksellers and are relatively inexpensive. You should order you book
immediately and you are strongly advised to have it read by the time we return
from the winter break. Details of the review assignment will be handed out
separately. The paper will be due on
Monday, February 8th
(start of 9th
Week).
Professor Casey's Homepage (including links for current events and research)
PDF of the Course Syllabus
Key Dates
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First Exam |
Friday, December 18th
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Debates Paper Due |
Monday, January 18th
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Second Exam |
Friday, January 28th
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Book Review Due |
Monday, February 8th
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Final Exam |
Date and Time TBA |
Links to the PowerPoint slides for the lectures and assignments will be added as the course progresses.
Other readings listed can be downloaded in PDF from the Logan Library's Academic Search Premier Database. This is available on the drop-down menu of databases on the library's main page. Please note that it is usually easiest to find the article if you search by both author and title.
| TOPICS | READINGS |
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PART I: THEORETICAL APPROACHES AND CONCEPTS
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A.
What is International Political Economy (IPE)?
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Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 1
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B.
Theoretical Approaches |
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1.
Liberalism
|
Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 3 and pp. 82-89 (on
rational choice)
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2.
Mercantilism
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Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 2
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3.
Structuralism
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Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 4 |
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C.
Concepts
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1.
Trade and the Balance of Payments |
Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 6
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2.
International Monetary System
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Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 7
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3.
Foreign Debt and Financial Crises
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Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 8
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4.
Transnational Corporations and International
Investment
|
Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 17
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5.
Knowledge and Technology |
Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 10 |
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PART II: GLOBALIZATION AND THE INTERNATIONAL
FINANCIAL CRISIS
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A.
The Origins of Globalization
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Robert O’Brian and Marc Williams,
Global
Political Economy, 2nd Ed, Chapters 2-4
[Handout]
The
Commanding Heights,
Part I: “The Battle of Ideas (Video)
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B.
Globalization Explained
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Andrew McGrew, “The Logics of Globalization,” in
John Ravenhill,
Global
Political Economy, 2nd Ed. [Handout]
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C.
The Future of Globalization
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Moises Naim, “Think Again – Globalization,”
Foreign
Policy, March/April 2009 [Library]
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PART III: COMPETING
CAPITALISMS IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY |
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A.
The Study of Comparative Capitalisms
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Terrence Casey, “Mapping Stability and Change in
Advanced Capitalisms,”
Comparative European Politics, July 2009
[Handout]
Ian
Bremmer, “State Capitalism Comes of Age,”
Foreign
Affairs, May/June 2009 [Library]
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B.
Europe and the Political Economy of Regionalism
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Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 11
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C.
Japan – The Lost Decade and Beyond
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Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 12
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D.
China – The New Economic Superpower?
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Harry Harding, “Think Again – China,”
Foreign
Policy, March/April 2007 [Library]
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E.
India – High-Tech Hub or the “Hindu Rate of
Growth”?
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Yasheng Huang, “The Next Asian Miracle,”
Foreign
Policy, July/August 2008 [Library]
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F.
The Transition from Communism to Capitalism
|
Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 13
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G.
Economic and Political Development in the Middle
East
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Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 14 |
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H.
Third World Development and the ‘North-South
Gap’ |
Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 15
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PART IV: KEY ISSUES FOR THE FUTURE |
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A.
America and the Global Economic Future |
Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 21
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B.
Markets
and the Environment
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Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 20
Carl Pope and Bjørn Lomborg, “The State of
Nature,”
Foreign Policy (July/August) 2005. [Handout]
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C.
Markets and Security |
Balaam and Veseth, Chapter 9 |