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SP50330: Global political economy

[Page last updated: 26 October 2023]

Academic Year: 2023/24
Owning Department/School: Department of Social & Policy Sciences
Credits: 12 [equivalent to 24 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 240
Level: Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7)
Period:
Semester 2
Assessment Summary: CW 100%
Assessment Detail:
  • Essay (CW 60%)
  • Group report (CW 30%)
  • Group presentation (CW 10%)
Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites:
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the unit, students should be able:
  • To understand of the role of external dynamics in determining development processes and outcomes.
  • To understanding how political economy analysis could explain the nature and evolution of international institutions and their impact on development.
  • To critically evaluate the position of developing countries in international institutions and the sources of economic power in the global political economy.
  • To understand issues such as commodity dependence, policy space, industrial policy, and their role in development processes within the global context.
  • To have a critical understanding of the historical experience of development in regard to these issues.



Aims: To give a historical and analytical understanding of economic issues and international institutions in the context of globalisation.
To provide an overview of the recent evolution of patterns of world production, trade, finance, and inequality arising in that process.
To discuss the role of the development and role of policy-making institutions at national, regional, and global levels.
To introduce the theoretical debate on the concept of globalisation and analyse it from a historical and political economy perspective in order to build on the Economics for Development- Micro unit to explain the role of external constraints on development and how they shape development policies and outcomes.
To provide students with an understanding of the ideological and historical origins of economic theories in the context of globalisation debate.
To familiarise the students with the importance of issues such as international trade, foreign direct investment, regional integration, labour migration and global finance, in development.
To provide the students with a global political economy perspective into development issues.

Skills:
  • Ability to analyse global dynamics and their impacts on developing countries and their ability to pursue development policy.
  • Ability to understand development from a catching-up perspective and the different analytical lens this perspective provides.
  • Ability to engage with current debates on global and regional institutions.
  • Ability to apply theoretical tools to other issue-areas not covered in this unit.
  • Ability to use data to examine the issues covered in the course.


Content:
  1. A theoretical framework to understand international institutions and their evolution.
  2. The global trading regime and its impact on development.
  3. Regional and bilateral trade agreements.
  4. The global intellectual property rights regime and its impact on access to knowledge, access to medicine, etc.
  5. The global investment regime and its impact on the relationship between developing countries and multinational firms.
  6. The debates around public and private labour standards and their links to working conditions in the developing world.
  7. Global inequality.
  8. The politics of international climate negotiations and their impact on developing countries in terms of climate change, adaptation, etc.
  9. International debt crises and their impact on developing and middle income economies.


The lectures will be completed with participatory seminars where students will gain transferable analytical skills on trade data analysis, commodity dependence and diversification, regional trade flows, investment flows, and debt) in addition to case study analysis.

Course availability:

SP50330 is a Designated Essential Unit on the following courses:

Department of Social & Policy Sciences

SP50330 is Optional on the following courses:

Department of Social & Policy Sciences
  • THXX-AFM12 : MRes International Development
  • THXX-AFM22 : MRes International Development (Leading to PhD)
  • THXX-APM06 : MRes International Development
  • THSP-AFM19 : MSc International Development
  • THSP-AWM19 : MSc International Development
  • THSP-APM19 : MSc International Development
  • THSP-AFM22 : MSc International Development, Social Justice and Sustainability
  • THSP-AWM22 : MSc International Development, Social Justice and Sustainability
  • THSP-APM22 : MSc International Development, Social Justice and Sustainability
  • THSP-AFM20 : MSc International Development with Conflict and Humanitarian Action
  • THSP-AWM20 : MSc International Development with Conflict and Humanitarian Action
  • THSP-APM20 : MSc International Development with Conflict and Humanitarian Action

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2023/24 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2024/25 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2023/24.
  • Courses and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
  • Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.