POL585: International Political Economy (graduate seminar; Spring 2022)

This graduate seminar explores the domestic and international politics of the global economy. We consider the determinants and effects of various types of cross-border flows, including goods and services (trade), capital (finance, exchange rates), production (foreign direct investment and supply chains) and people (migration and remittances). The seminar aims to provide a theoretical grounding in the subfield: some of our readings each week are some “classics” in international political economy. Other readings represent the “cutting edge” for scholarship, providing a sense of the current state of knowledge and facilitating conversations about opportunities to contribute (theoretically as well as empirically) to our collective scholarly enterprise.

POL585 Syllabus

POL506/SPI595: Qualitative Methods (last taught Spring 2021)

This seminar explores the use of qualitative methods in social science research. We consider both the design of research projects and the conduct of research, including the use of elite interviews, interviews with members of the mass public, archival materials and secondary materials. The course also will address the ethical conduct of research involving human participants, as well as the use of qualitative approaches as part of multi-method research projects. The qualitative work we discuss will be drawn from across the political science discipline. We also will emphasize the application of qualitative research methods to students’ own work.

POL506/SPI595 Syllabus

SPI571C: Topics in Development: Political Risk Analysis (last taught Fall 2021)

Explores the impact of international and national political institutions, as well as political events, on firms’ and investors’ strategies and decisions. We draw on academic research to consider how business leaders assess risk at the firm- and country-level, and to evaluate how governments that want to attract or retain investment seek to ameliorate political risk. We also consider strategic interaction between governments and economic actors: firms and governments each attempt to anticipate how the other will act, given the rules of the game as well as the interests at stake. We approach these issues via the lens of case studies of specific events, firms and countries. These cases allow us to draw out broader lessons, as well as to appreciate how social scientists have evaluated the links between political institutions and economic exchange.

SPI571C Syllabus

POL385: International Political Economy (undergraduate; last taught Fall 2021)

This course examines the interactions between international politics and international economics, as well as between domestic political systems and the global economy. We explore the ways in which governments attempt to govern international trade and finance; as well as the ways in which the international economy affects domestic politics. The course considers both historical and contemporary economic patterns. We examine the World Trade Organization, regional trade cooperation (such as the European Union and the North American Free Trade Agreement), trade and domestic politics, multinational corporations, exchange rate regimes, financial crises and their causes, and the International Monetary Fund. We also will consider the domestic political and economic roots of the contemporary anti-globalization backlash. Students will develop a familiarity with social scientific research methods, including how scholars evaluate causal hypotheses related to the international political economy. Previous coursework in international economics is not necessary; the course will introduce the basic concepts required.

POL385 Syllabus