Professor R Wade, CON. H707

For MSc Development Studies, MSc Development Management, MSc International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies, MSc Global Politics, MPA International Development, MSc Environment and Development, MSc Political Economy of Late Development, MSc Media, Communication and Development, MSc Management and MSc International Political Economy only.

Please note that in case of over-subscription to this course priority will be given to students from the Department of International Development and its joint degrees (where their regulations permit). This course is capped at 75 students.

The course examines the political economy of 'North-South' relations, focusing on how changes in iinternational organizations and the international policy framework affect developing countries' economic trajectories and national-level strategies for interaction with the global economy. It covers the performance of the world economy as a whole; international systems of production, trade, and finance; the rules or regimes which govern interaction between economies, states and firms (regimes such as Bretton Woods, and the Post Bretton Woods dollar standard); and several international organizations (such as the World Bank and IMF). Along the way it analyses the major financial/economic crises of 1997-99 and 2007-continuing. In contrast to much writing in IInternational Political Economy, it looks at these things from the perspective of the low and middle-income countries (in the spirit of the Swahili proverb, "Until lions have their own historians tales of hunting will glorify the hunters"), and does not take for granted that the G7 states provide a generally benign environment for development in the rest of the world.

Ten lectures and nine seminars in Michaelmas Term.

Students have the option of writing one essay of 2,000 words.

Core text: John Ravenhill (ed), Global Political Economy, 3rd edition, OUP, 2008.

A three-hour seen examination in the Summer Term (100%). The examination paper will be released via Moodle 24 hours before the examination is due to start.