30481 - CURRENT POLITICAL PHENOMENA I

Familiarity with economic reasoning obtained from an introductory course to economics useful.

The course examines the way political factors influence the economic interactions between countries, focusing on the way globalization both shapes and is shaped by political forces. The course provides an overview of international economic relations and systematically analyze how politics shape them: Why do some governments embrace and promote globalization while others oppose it? Why do countries cooperate economically in some domains but struggle to do so not in others? Why do governments adopt and persist with poor economic policies? We address these questions and others with a focus on the politics of trade, immigration, and international investment. The course approaches these topics by examining alternative theoretical approaches and evaluating these theories using contemporary and historical evidence.

The course covers key topics in international political economy and the study of globalization, including:

• Political economy of trade.
• Immigration.
• International investments and domestic politcs.
• Politics and financial crises.

• Possess methodological tools that allow the student to link theoretical claims with observable empirical implications. 
• Develop theoretical tools for understanding contemporary international events (.e.g the US-China Trade War, Brexit, the rise of populism).
• Gain a more in-depth understanding of the political and economic considerations shaping governments’ choice of foreign economic policy.
• Develop insight on the political and economic decisions of firms on whether and how to extend the company’s economic activity in the international market.

Students are expected to read the weekly assigned material and think about the readings ahead of class. Students familiarize themselves with key concepts in International Political Economy, as discussed in class and the readings.

• Face-to-face lectures
• Interactive class activities (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)

The students fill a short survey with their views on various policies that later are studied in class. I later integrate statistics about the students’ views in class when studying public opinion and policy formation.

Students’ assessment is based on two main components:

1. In-class participation (20% of the final grade) aimed to test the students’ ability to interact in a constructive way and to think critically.
2. Written exam (80% of the final grade), consisting of both closed and open questions aimed to assess students’ ability to demonstrate familiarity with the course's material and ability to apply the analytical tools developed during the course.

T. OATLEY, International Political Economy, 6th edition.