POLITICS 772

Faculty of Arts

Special Topic: International Political Economy

Please note: this is archived course information from 2012 for POLITICS 772.

Description

Compares models of capitalist industrial development in their international context. It asks the questions: What explains national differences in the choice and outcome of policies in response to common external challenges brought about by increased economic integration and openness? And what impact, both positive and negative, do national choices have on other states and the international system generally?

The neo-liberal model and its variants are given close attention, with exploration of illustrative case studies from East Asia, Western Europe, and North America, followed by assessments as to which is adapting best to political and economic globalisation.

Two central political issues are examined: First, domestic political debates generated by the tensions between continuity and change in national political economies in response to new competitive pressures from the international political economy, particularly the phenomenon of globalisation, and Second, intergovernmental disputes generated by states' differing adaptations and how these disputes are managed by diplomacy and international institutions.