Kate Alexander Shaw

This course is available on the MSc in European and International Politics and Policy, MSc in European and International Politics and Policy (LSE and Bocconi), MSc in European and International Politics and Policy (LSE and Sciences Po), MSc in Political Economy of Europe in the World, MSc in Political Economy of Europe in the World (LSE and Fudan) and MSc in Political Economy of Europe in the World (LSE and Sciences Po). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process. For information on controlled access courses, including eligibility, application processes, deadlines, and departmental contact details, please refer to the Controlled Access Courses webpage.

To apply for a place, ALL students should submit a statement via LSE for You outlining your specific reasons for applying, how it will benefit your academic/career goals, and how you meet any necessary pre-requisites (maximum 200 words).

The first round of offers will be made from 12-noon on the Friday before Autumn Term week 1. The final deadline for applications is 12-noon on the Friday of Autumn Term week 2.

For queries contact: ei@lse.ac.uk

This course has a limited number of places (it is controlled access) and demand is typically very high. Priority is given to students from the European Institute, so students from outside this department may not get a place.

A basic understanding of economics and economic terms is highly recommended.

Politics and policymaking in Europe happen in the context of a global monetary and financial order. This course teaches students a political economy framework to understand and analyse this order, and the privileges and constraints it imposes on financial, non-financial, and state actors in Europe. The introductory segment of the course examines the broad contours of the historical evolution of finance since the late 19th century: The first financial globalisation in the shadow of European colonial expansion; the period of financial de-globalisation following World War II; and the liberalisation period that began in the 1970s. The second part focuses on the key actors (such as institutional capital pools) and the key assets (such as sovereign bonds) in Europe’s contemporary financial system. The third part of the course brings this understanding of finance to bear on political challenges in Europe. By the end of the course, students will have acquired the tools to analyse a broad range of political economy questions through a financial lens.

15 hours of seminars and 10 hours of lectures in the Winter Term.
1.5 hours of seminars in the Spring Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.

A review session will be held at the start of the Spring Term to prepare for the e-exam.

Essay (1200 words) in Winter Term Week 8.

• Abdelal, Ravi (2007). Capital rules. The construction of global finance. Cambridge, M and London, England: Harvard University Press
• Ban, C., & Bohle, D. (2021). Definancialization, financial repression and policy continuity in East-Central Europe. Review of International Political Economy, 28(4), 874–897.
• Barta, Z., & Johnston, A. (2023). Rating Politics: Sovereign Credit Ratings and Democratic Choice in Prosperous Developed Countries. Oxford University Press.
• Braun, Benjamin & Koddenbrock, Kai (eds.) (2022). Capital Claims: Power and Global Finance. Routledge.
• Cordelli, C., & Levy, J. (2022). The Ethics of Global Capital Mobility. American Political Science Review, 116(2), 439–452.
• Gabor, D. (2023). The (European) derisking state. Stato e Mercato, 2023(1), 53–84.

Exam (100%), duration: 120 Minutes in the Spring exam period.

The summative assessment will take the form of an e-exam in the Spring Term. E-exams are assessments run under invigilated exam conditions on campus. Students will complete the assessment using software downloaded to their personal laptops.