MA Humanitarianism and Conflict Response / Course details

This course addresses the linkage between economics, peace and conflict, and provides students with a critical understanding of how the disciplines link. It uses the tools of economics to explore various aspects of conflict, and peace. Students will learn how to apply concepts from micro- and macroeconomics to a variety of issues related to international relations and peace and conflict studies. Throughout the course, students will evaluate the roles of economic actors and a broad range of domestic and external stakeholders (including community groups, non-governmental organizations, bilateral partners, multilateral institutions, and international firms). Among the topics covered are: an exploration of economic conflict factors, an interrogation of the effects trade policies can have on conflict and peacebuilding (e.g., international sanctions and boycott), and the impact of different political and economic systems on the likelihood of peace or conflict. Students will interrogate the international community’s economic approach to deal with conflict, and their understanding on how economic policies can work for peace and development.

This course unit aims to provide students with a critical understanding of the linkages between economics, peace and conflict. It uses the tools of economics to explore various aspects of conflict, and peace. Students will learn how to apply concepts from micro- and macroeconomics to a variety of issues related international relations and peace and conflict studies. Throughout the course, students will evaluate the roles of economic actors and a broad range of domestic and external stakeholders (including community groups, non-governmental organizations, bilateral partners, multilateral institutions, and international firms). Among the topics covered are: an exploration of economic conflict factors, an interrogation of the effects trade policies can have on conflict and peacebuilding (e.g., international sanctions and boycott), and the impact of different political and economic systems on the likelihood of peace or conflict. Students will interrogate the international community’s economic approach to deal with conflict, and their understanding on how economic policies can work for peace and development.

The module will be delivered through ten seminars, which include class exercises and student presentation. The seminars will be supported by case studies that will include show the impact of economic polies on peacebuilding interventions and the development of conflicts. There is a strong conceptual and theoretical element to this course but empirical evidence will be used throughout to demonstrate how these theories acquire meaning on the ground. Seminars and exercises will be student-led based on the reading and led by the tutor.

• Understand the links between economics, peace and conflict;
• Identify key theories and research that demonstrate different approaches to the role of economics and trade in peace and conflict studies;
• Understand basic economic data sets;
• Understand the difference between macro- and microeconomic dynamics and their impact on peacebuilding and conflict;
• Critically understand different economic theories and their impact on international policies in relation to peacebuilding.

• Critically interrogate the literature related to economic peacebuilding approaches, particularly how theory shapes practice;
• Develop a critical understanding of the relationship between economics and conflict, using contemporary and historical case studies;
• Compare and contrast different economic approaches aiming at conflict resolution;
• Articulate and defend own positions on the on economic aspects of peace and conflict studies. 

• Develop an understanding of how economic policies can be incorporated into peacebuilding strategies;
• Understand how academic work relates to practice and interrogate the effectiveness of different strategies;
• Demonstrate analytical and debating skills with peers and tutors through tutorials and online discussions and forums;
• Show effective use of library resources drawing on relevant academic and grey literature, and seeking out information through the use of virtual sources to underpin learning and gathering information for written work.

• Develop communication skills for a variety of audiences;
• Work effectively in a team and with policy makers;
• Understand basic statistical data and indexes;
• Develop analytical skills and the ability to articulate ideas verbally and in writing;
• Develop confidence in articulating ideas during group discussions.

• oral and written feedback on group presentations
• written feedback on individual essay (assignment 1) that will be returned to students according to SALC guidelines and time limits
• additional one-to-one feedback (during the consultation hour or by making an appointment)

Collier, Paul; Elliott, V. L.; Hegre, Håvard; Hoeffler, Anke; Reynal-Querol, Marta; Sambanis, Nicholas. 2003. Breaking the Conflict Trap : Civil War and Development Policy. Washington, DC: World Bank and Oxford University Press.

Coyne, Christopher J. and Rachel L. Mathers (eds.). 2011. The Handbook on the Political Economy of War. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.

Keynes, J.M. 1920. The Economic Consequences of Peace, London: Macmillian.

Kühschelm, Oliver. 2010. Implicit Boycott: The call for patriotic consumption in interwar Austria. Management and Organizational History, Vol. 5(2), pp. 165-195

N. Cooper. 2006. ‘Peaceful Warriors and Warring Peacemakers’, Economics of Peace and Security Journal pp. 20-24.

C. J. Arnson and I. W. Zartman. 2005. Rethinking the Economics of War: The Intersection of Need, Creed, and Greed, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

R. D. Wolff and S. A. Resnick, Economics: Marxian versus Neoclassical (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987), Chapter 3 & 4