MA International Political Economy (Standard) / Course details

This challenging module introduces students to the literatures and debates on the politics of comparing different ‘types’ of capitalism around the world. Originally centred on Western European political economies and the potential for this part of the world to offer a ‘non-neoliberal’ alternative to American-style capitalism, the last 20 years have witnessed a dramatic expansion of the debate to include Central and Eastern Europe, South America, East Asia, and Africa. This, combined with the Great Recession of the late 2000s and the emergence of a so-called ‘new normal’ of crises, conflicts and inequalities, has had a significant impact on the conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches used to compare and contrast different capitalisms. The module’s combination of conceptual/methodological themes and specific case studies enables it to speak to a range of crucial issues, such as the continued existence of significant diversity across the global political economy, how to conceptualise and analyse diversity across the global political economy, the possibilities for emancipatory forms of development, and so on.

The course unit aims to:

• Familiarise students with different conceptual approaches to the study of different ‘types’ of capitalism, and how this study of particular cases always has a global horizon
• Provide a methodological basis for how students can compare and contrast different capitalisms across the world, with emphasis placed on the politics of comparison
• Relate conceptual approaches to empirical case studies 

Assist students in improving their oral and written communication skills

On completion of this unit successful students will be able to: 

• Compare and contrast the different conceptual approaches to the study of capitalist diversity, with a particular focus on the critical alternatives to institutionalism 
• Compare and contrast different case studies across the world and relate these studies to the global horizon while remaining aware of the politics of comparison
• Relate the above to the global horizon 
• Pursue independent study and learning, and the improvement of oral and written skills 
 

10 x 2 hour seminars.

The aim will be to promote enquiry-based learning through the use of lectures, student-led discussions and workshop formats, and open discussions. The online portal will be used as a repository for the lecture slides, presentation materials, and other course information.

Source analysis of 1000 words (33%); Essay of 2000 words (67%) 

• Ebenau, M., I. Bruff and C. May (eds) (2015) New Directions in Comparative Capitalisms Research: Critical and Global Perspectives. London: Palgrave Macmillan.