This course introduces the sub-discipline of International Political Economy (IPE). The field of IPE does not have a clear, universally agreed set of concerns, assumptions, or theoretical underpinnings but has rather been characterised as a ‘field of inquiry’, ‘set of questions’, an ‘area of investigation’ exploring the inter-relationships between politics and the economy in an international context. How does the global political economy work, and for whose benefit? The course examines controversial empirical issues and challenges in IPE, such as contemporary issues related to global trade, production, finance, consumption, development, regulation, migration, climate change and capitalism(s). Whether it be the US-China trade war, the costs and profits from climate change, or the instability of global financial markets, this course aims to develop an ability to analyse, compare and critically evaluate fundamental assumptions and arguments about the ways in which political and economic spheres are connected. close