IR355      Half Unit
Economic Diplomacy

This information is for the 2019/20 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Stephen Woolcock CBG.8.09

The course is coordinated by an LSE academic but is supported by an experienced practitioner of economic diplomacy Sir Nicholas Bayne, former UK foreign service and ambassador and Kenneth Heydon (formerly Deputy Director at the OECD in Paris). 

Availability

This course is available on the BSc in International Relations, BSc in International Relations and Chinese, BSc in International Relations and History and BSc in Politics and International Relations. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.

Pre-requisites

Some background knowledge of international political economy, such as that provided in IR206 ‘International Political Economy, will be useful to students taking this course.

Course content

The course introduces students to the theories and analytical frameworks relating to decision-making and negotiation in international economic relations and enables them to develop the skills needed to apply these to cases. It discusses the roles of the main actors, institutional settings and processes involved in domestic decision-making and international economic negotiations, and their interaction. It provides students with both academic and practitioner perspectives of economic diplomacy and offers participants an opportunity to understand the challenges faced by negotiators through the simulation of a current multilateral negotiation.

Teaching

10 hours of lectures, 10 hours of classes and 1 hour and 30 minutes of workshops in the MT. 1 hour of lectures in the ST.

Students on this course will have a reading week in Week 6, in line with departmental policy.

Formative coursework

Students will be expected to produce 1 essay in the MT.

Indicative reading

Bayne, Nicholas and Woolcock, S. The new economic diplomacy: decision-making and negotiation in international economic relations, Third edition, Ashgate, Stephen 2013.

Buelow, A M Culture and Negotiation, 2011

Checkel, Jeffrey Social constructivisms in global and European politics: a review essay 2004.

Odell, John Negotiating the world economy  2000.

Putnam, D Robert Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: the logic of two-level games, 1988.

Sebenius, J,K Negotiation Analysis: A characterization and review, 1992.

Assessment

Exam (70%, duration: 2 hours) in the January exam period.
Essay (30%, 2000 words) in the MT.

Student performance results

(2016/17 - 2018/19 combined)

Classification % of students
First 13
2:1 78.3
2:2 8.7
Third 0
Fail 0

Key facts

Department: International Relations

Total students 2018/19: 13

Average class size 2018/19: 14

Capped 2018/19: No

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Personal development skills

  • Leadership
  • Self-management
  • Team working
  • Problem solving
  • Application of information skills
  • Communication