Dr Donato Di Carlo

This course is available on the MSc in China in Comparative Perspective, 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.

This course explores how the European Union (EU), its constituent member states and China shape, and are reshaped by, a rapidly emerging multipolar global order. It equips students with the analytical tools of both International Political Economy (IPE) and Comparative Political Economy (CPE) to understand the interaction between global structures, domestic institutions, and state–market relations in democratic and authoritarian contexts. 

The course is organised in three parts: 

• Part I introduces IPE frameworks and traces the construction, consolidation, and contestation of the global trade, monetary, and governance orders before and after China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001. 

• Part II applies CPE approaches to compare European and Chinese models of capitalism, analysing their institutional foundations, growth strategies, and mutual adaptation in the face of “China shocks” and global economic transformations. 

• Part III integrates these perspectives to examine current strategic challenges—from industrial policy and green macrofinancial regimes to supply chains, economic diplomacy, overcapacity, trade wars, and the EU–China relationship under US-led protectionism. 

Teaching combines conceptual discussion with empirically rich case studies, drawing on examples from across Europe, China’s diverse regions, and the wider global economy. We explore how different governance systems respond to climate transitions, technological competition, and geopolitical pressures, using cases such as renewable energy leadership, supply chain restructuring, and contested industrial upgrading. 

Inclusivity is embedded in both content and pedagogy. The course engages with scholarship from multiple world regions and theoretical traditions, incorporating Chinese, European, and Global South perspectives. Comparative analysis highlights how history, institutions, and political systems shape policy choices, avoiding Eurocentric or single-model explanations. Students are encouraged to bring their own regional expertise and professional interests into seminar discussions, fostering a collaborative learning environment where multiple viewpoints are valued. 

By the end of the course, students will be able to critically assess the EU’s and China’s evolving roles in the global economy, analyse how their interaction shapes international governance, and evaluate the implications for sustainability, economic security, and the stability of a fragmented world order. 

20 hours of seminars in the Autumn Term.
2 hours of lectures in the Spring Term.

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

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

Essay (1500 words).

• Trommer, S. (2020). “The evolution of the global trade regime.” In J. Ravenhill (Ed.), Global Political Economy (6th ed., Ch. 5). Oxford University Press. 

• Buzan, B., & Lawson, G. (2014). Capitalism and the emergent world order. International Affairs, 90(1), 71–91. 

• Baccaro, L., Blyth, M., & Pontusson, J. (Eds.). (2022). Introduction: Rethinking Comparative Capitalism. In Diminishing returns: The new politics of growth and stagnation. Oxford University Press. 

• Tan, Y., & Conran, J. (2022). China’s growth models in comparative and international perspective. In L. Baccaro, M. Blyth, & J. Pontusson (Eds.), Diminishing returns: The new politics of growth and stagnation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.. 

• De Ville, F., & Vermeiren, M. (2016). The Eurozone crisis and the rise of China. Comparative European Politics, 14, 572–603. 

• Di Carlo, D., & Schmitz, L. (2023). Europe first? The rise of EU industrial policy promoting and protecting the Single Market. Journal of European Public Policy, 30(10), 2063–2096. 

• Larsen, M. (2025). The archetype of a ‘big green state’? What China tells us about green macrofinancial regimes. Review of International Political Economy, 1–32. 

• Bian, L. (Alice), Dikau, S., Miller, H., Pierfederici, R., Stern, N., & Ward, B. (2024). China’s role in accelerating the global energy transition through green supply chains and trade. London: LSE Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. 

• Klein, M. C., & Pettis, M. (2020). Trade Wars Are Class Wars. Yale University Press. (Focus: Chs. 3–6.) 

• Lovely, M., & Yan, J. (2024). While the US and China Decouple, the EU and China Deepen Trade Dependencies. Peterson Institute for International Economics, Policy Brief No. 27. 

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.