The Global Economy (in English)

Course objectives
The aim of this course is to introduce the students to the main debates surrounding the nature,
effects and attempted management of the Global Economy, identifying its most important postwar
structural developments and examining contemporary challenges to its well-being. In addition,
the course intends to give the students the tools to analyze and apply the theoretical concepts
learned in class in to study cases and international political analysis.

Course description
Global Economy is situated within the subfield of International Political Economy (IPE). As such,
the course will include the following topics:
Topic 1: approaches to IPE and debates on globalization.
Topic 2: Global Trade. Evolution of the global trading regime from GATT to the WTO,
identifying its principal structural changes, broadening agenda, contested nature, and uncertain
future. Challenges facing multilateral trade in the contemporary era including rising US-China
trade tensions and the Ukrainian War.
Topic 3: Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). What is regionalism is and why countries do it.
RTAs around the world. Examples: European Union and its trade relations with the US.
Topic 4: Environment, contemporary challenges and concerns. Sustainable development.
Tracking of global governance to address the ecological crisis and the climate change (e.g., Kyoto
Protocol mechanisms). Extractivism and socio-environmental conflict. Concerns about energy
transition.
Topic 5: International Monetary System, the Bretton Woods system, rise and collapse.
Topic 6: Current trends on Global Economy: The rise of China, BRICS and its impact on the
global economy. The global south.

The distribution of the final grade is the following:
Class workshops 25%
Midterm test 20%
Final presentation defense 25%
Class Participation 10%
Final test 20%

Readings

This course has no textbook as such: relevant readings will be uploaded to Blackboard.