- Teacher: Katharina Fleiner
Economic actors and interests have always been at the forefront of the topics, interests and strategies that shape international relations between nations. However, as our world has become more economically globalized, economic matters have become increasingly interwoven with the greatest challenges humanity faces today. Over the past 5 decades, we have observed an immense increase in the flow of goods, direct investment, speculative finance and investment, and development aid between countries across the globe. These observed economic linkages have been the consequence of an international capitalist economic order created and upheld by a regime of international economic regulations, bilateral and international trade and investment agreements and organisations such as the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation and the International Monetary Fund. While this international economic order has helped our economies grow and has increased wealth and prosperity around the globe, it has also had negative consequences. Capitalist economic interlinkages and the interests they support have contributed to increased international financial volatility, global health concerns, environmental degradation, inequality as well as security threats from international criminal networks and terrorism. Further, this global economic regime has perpetuated a system of global power relations that favours the interests of wealthy Western nation over the rest of the world. International economic cooperation will be a vital part in addressing these issues and finding solutions to global challenges in the field of health, environment, human rights, security and economics.
In this course, we will discuss the existing regime of international economic relations. We will introduce the important actors and interests and develop our understanding of the effect international economic interactions have on a variety of international and domestic outcomes. Each week we will tackle a different aspect of international economic relations – trade, development, finance, monetary policy – and discuss how the international regime on this matter is shaping or as been shaped by recent global developments – the rise of China, impeding health crises, illicit financial flows connected to terrorism and organised crime, economic policy autonomy and nationalism. The sessions will be centred around the provided readings. Each week students will have to read at least one academic paper and develop an understanding of the theory, research methodology and findings of the authors. Each week a second reading will be presented by a student. Throughout the course, students will have to develop an individual assignment.