Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis This subject is concerned with some major issues in the politics of modern international financial relationships and policies. It examines and seeks to explain continuities and changes in the national government policies of major states in East and Southeast Asia, North America and Western Europe concerning international financial affairs; the roles and changing or expanding activities of such major international financial organisations as the IMF, Bank for International Settlement, World Bank and Asian Development Bank; the expansion of Euro-dollar and Asian-dollar market institutions and financial centres; the politics of international financial deregulation and the politics of debt crises and their impacts on development strategies. Case studies given particular emphasis will include such subjects as Japanese-American competition for international financial influence; debt crisis politics in the Philippines, Indonesia, Korea, Peru, Mexico and Nigeria; and multilateral debt negotiations in the UN, the Paris club, and other venues; and theories concerning the evolution of international financial `regimes'. The subject is intended to be of interest to students in international relations, East and Southeast Asian studies, and development studies. It does not require prior knowledge of the technicalities of international finance.
Assessment Essay (6000 words): 50% + Examination (3 hours): 50%