Handbook

Is power where the money is? Why do some people get so much, while others struggle to survive? What does it mean to take inequality in global politics seriously as a decisive factor in people’s lives? In this course, you will question the nature, constitution and effects of the contemporary global political economy from a critical perspective, discussing the variety of approaches to and understandings of global political-economic practices, actors, patterns and ideas. Introducing you to international political economy as a field of study and a space of human interaction, the course examines the relationship between politics and economics and the reasons why power, resources and privilege are often concentrated in particular hands. Scrutinising the past, present and future of the global political economy, the course outlines and overviews key histories in, approaches to and developments of the global economic order. By focusing on particular dynamics in areas such as international development, trade, finance, production, the environment and gender, the course shines a light on how inequality is generated and maintained, asking you to think carefully about the constitution and effects of who gets what in global politics today.