ASTK12307U Course: The Political Economy of International Trade

Volume 2014/2015
Education
Bachelorlevel: 10 ECTS
Masterlevel: 7,5 ECTS
Content

The study of international trade is one of the core areas of study in the discipline of International Political Economy (IPE) – focusing on how the exchange of goods and services in the global economy has been regulated. After an introductory session, the course is divided into four parts. Part I deals with different theoretical approaches to the study of international trade within International Political Economy (IPE) and how they have approached the issue of free trade and its treatment in the economic literature. Part I also covers the history of the modern trading system, from the repeal of the Corn Laws to the current multilateral system under the auspices of the World Trade Organization. Part II is concerned with the shifting dynamics within the global trading system, both in terms of the emergence of new actors (such as developing countries, in particular the BRICS, and civil society actors) and new negotiating venues (the shift from multilateral to preferential trade negotiations). Part III builds on the previous three parts by focusing on a number of issues affecting the contemporary trading system, including the issues of trade and inequality, trade and sustainable development and three seminars focusing on the increasingly important role of regulatory, ’behind-the-order’ measures which impinge on the sovereignty of states. By way of conclusion the module will reflect on the future of the global trading system following the Great Recession.

 

Indicative outline:

 

  1. Introduction

 

Part I – Theorising and historicising International Trade

 

  1. The Economics of Free Trade: neoclassical and new trade theory
  2. The Case for Protection: List, structuralism and the developmental state
  3. Beyond Capitalist Exchange: dependency theory and political ecology
  4. The Social Construction of Free Trade: constructivist approaches to studying international trade
  5. The History of the Modern Trading System: From the repeal of the Corn Laws to the WTO

 

Part II – The Changing Contours of Global Trade

 

  1. New Domestic and International Actors in International Trade: from firms and a global duopoly to NGOs and multipolarity
  2. New Venues for International Trade Negotiations: from multilateralism to preferentialism

 

Part III – Contemporary Issues in Global Trade

 

  1. Trade and distributional conflict: reducing or exacerbating inequality within and between states?
  2. Trade and sustainable development: reconciling environmental and developmental objectives?
  3. Trade and economic sovereignty I: the case of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)
  4. Trade and economic sovereignty II: the case of trade and investment
  5. Trade and economic sovereignty III: the case of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures

 

Part IV – Conclusion

 

  1. The future of the global trading system (guest lecture/workshop)
Learning Outcome

On completion of this unit, students should be able to demonstrate:

  • an ability to identify and critically reflect on the distinctive contribution made by several approaches within International Political Economy to the study of global trade politics;
  • an understanding of the historical origins of the contemporary global trading system;
  • an ability to describe the role of key actors and processes within the global trading system;
  • an ability to critically reflect on a number of key issues in the contemporary politics of international trade and situate these within contemporary theoretical debates.

Barton, J.H, Goldstein, J., Josling, T. and Steinberg, R.H. (2012), The Evolution of the Trade Regime: Politics, Law and Economics of the GATT and the WTO (Princeton: Princeton University Press).

Goldstein, J. (1993), Ideas, Interests and American Trade Policy (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press).

Grant, W. and Kelly, D. (eds) (2005), The Politics of International Trade in the 21st Century: Actors, Issues and Regional Dynamics (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).

Mansfield, E.D. and Milner, H.V. (eds) (1997), The Political Economy of Regionalism (New York, NY: Columbia University Press).

McGuire, S. and Hocking, B. (eds) (2004), Trade Politics, 2nd edn (London: Routledge).

Narlikar, A. (2005), International Trade and Developing Countries: Coalitions in the GATT and WTO (London: Routledge).

Wilkinson, R. (2006), The WTO: Crisis and the Governance of Global Trade (London: Routledge).

Woll, C. (2008), Firm Interests: How Governments Shape Business Lobbying on Global Trade (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press).

 

This course is taught by a combination of mini-lectures (delivered at the start of each session), student in-class presentations and student-led activities intended to encourage inquiry-based learning. These will include in-class presentations, debates on seminar questions, role-plays (including a ‘model WTO’) and plenary discussions. These activities will be followed by a debriefing which is intended to link students’ insights to the theoretical, historical and empirical issues covered in the module. Students will therefore be expected read a set of core readings every week in preparation for class.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 28
  • Course Preparation
  • 117
  • Exam
  • 1
  • Exam Preparation
  • 30
  • Preparation
  • 30
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination
Oral
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Criteria for exam assesment
  • Grade 12 is given for an outstanding performance: the student lives up to the course's goal description in an independent and convincing manner with no or few and minor shortcomings
  • Grade 7 is given for a good performance: the student is confidently able to live up to the goal description, albeit with several shortcomings
  • Grade 02 is given for an adequate performance: the minimum acceptable performance in which the student is only able to live up to the goal description in an insecure and incomplete manner