International political economy
Not offered in 1995
8 points * 3 hours per week * Second semester * Clayton
This subject introduces students to the interaction of politics and economics as these are manifested in the activities and policies that cross the boundaries of national politics. It begins by describing the vast global economic restructuring that has taken place in the last two hundred years. It then goes on to show that there are widely different interpretations of these changes such as liberal, capitalist, mercantilist and structuralist. These interpretations are critically examined and their usefulness for understanding recent issues of international political economy determined. Such issues include the rise and maintenance of various trading regimes; the increasing dominance of money and credit; the continuing influence of multinational corporations in the third and fourth worlds; dilemmas regarding the use of natural resources, commodities and the environment; Australia's policy choices for economic relations with Northeast Asia and other regions; and the sustained development of regional blocs. The subject will end with reflections on the implications of globalisation and the international political economy for justice and the well-being of human beings.
Assessment
Written (3000 words): 50% * Examination (3 hours): 50%
Recommended texts
Brewer A Marxist theories of imperialism Routledge, 1980
Cox R W Production, power and world order Columbia UP, 1987
Gilpin R The political economy of international relations Princeton UP, 1987
Keohane R After hegemony Princeton UP, 1984
Rosecrance R The rise of the trading state Basic Books, 1986