Dr Robert Basedow

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.

After decades of globalisation and trade integration, the world economy faces significant challenges. Rising geopolitical tensions, pandemics, and populism have put considerable pressures on the international trade regime and global economic governance. The purpose of this course is to provide students with the necessary knowledge to understand and analyse Europe's role in the global economy and trade regime. It familiarises students with the workings of EU trade and foreign economic policy and the World Trade Organisation. It further introduces students to different substantive trade domains including the political economy of trade in goods and services, trade defence instruments, the links between trade, development and the environment, the diffusion and design of preferential trade agreements, international investment policy and investor-state dispute settlement as well as sources of regulatory power in world markets. 

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 online assessment.

Essay.

- Basedow, Robert, and Julian M. Hoerner. ‘Trading Votes: What Drives MEP Support for Trade Liberalisation?’ Journal of European Public Policy 31, no. 1 (2024): 20–53. 

- Basedow, Robert. The EU in the Global Investment Regime: Commission Entrepreneruship, Incremental Institutional Change and Business Lethargy. Routledge, 2017.

- Hoekman, Bernard, and Michael Kostecki. The Political Economy of the World Trading System. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.

- Klein, Matthew C., and Michael Pettis. Trade Wars Are Class Wars: How Rising Inequality Distorts the Global Economy and Threatens International Peace. Illustrated edition. Yale University Press, 2020.

- Martin, Lisa, ed. The Oxford Handbook of the Political Economy of International Trade. Oxford University Press, 2015.

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.