IR368 Half Unit
The Political Economy of Trade
This information is for the 2019/20 session.
Teacher responsible
Dr Stephen Woolcock CBG.8.09
Availability
This course is available on the BSc in International Relations, BSc in International Relations and Chinese, BSc in International Relations and History and BSc in Politics and International Relations. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.
Pre-requisites
Some background knowledge of international political economy, such as that provided in IR206 International Political Economy, will be useful to students taking this course.
Course content
The course begins with a discussion the intellectual history of free trade and how this has shaped ideas that continue to shape policy today as well as of the core analytical models that assist in any analysis of trade and investment. It covers changes in the nature the of trade and investment in the 21st century, including among other things in the impact of the growth of global supply chains on the political economy of trade and investment. The domestic and international institutional frameworks within which trade and investment policy are conducted are discussed. The course then considers some of the underlying trends in trade towards the use of preferential and plurilateral rather than multilateral approaches. Finally the course covers some of the main topics in current negotiations including in particular agriculture and food security, trade in manufactures, services and investment as well as the inter-relationship between trade and sustainable development.
Teaching
10 hours of lectures and 10 hours of classes in the MT. 1 hour of classes in the ST.
Students on this course will have a reading week in Week 6, in line with departmental policy.
Formative coursework
Students will be expected to produce 1 essay in the MT.
Indicative reading
Heydon. K and Woolcock. S (eds) (2012) The Ashgate Research Companion to International Trade Policy, HF 1379 A 82: e-book and hard copies available.
Hoekman. B and Kosteki. (2009) The Political Economy of the World Trading System HF 1359 H69 e-book available but reasonably price in paperback so something to purchase.
Martin. L (ed) (2014) Oxford Handbook of The Political Economy of International Trade, available as an e-book.
Assessment
Exam (70%, duration: 2 hours) in the January exam period.
Essay (30%, 2000 words) in the MT.
The final examination lasts 2 hours and students will be asked to answer 2 out of 8 questions.
Student performance results
(2016/17 - 2018/19 combined)
| Classification | % of students |
|---|---|
| First | 18.5 |
| 2:1 | 70.4 |
| 2:2 | 11.1 |
| Third | 0 |
| Fail | 0 |
Key facts
Department: International Relations
Total students 2018/19: 17
Average class size 2018/19: 17
Capped 2018/19: No
Value: Half Unit
Personal development skills
- Leadership
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Application of information skills
- Communication
- Application of numeracy skills
- Commercial awareness
- Specialist skills
